My Ugly Happy Place: Part 2 - Disaster Strikes!
How to Deter Wildlife from Your Veg Patch!
Thursday 4th July. The day before our trip to Scotland for a family wedding. My stress levels were through the roof with a never-ending ‘to-do’ list. Typical of English folks, I was obsessively checking the weather up north, worried about rain since I had no plans to bring a jacket or umbrella. Little did I know, the real disaster was unfolding right outside my window.
Ignoring the Signs
While I fretted over Scottish weather, England was experiencing a fierce gale. The shed door kept blowing open, a minor annoyance I noted but didn't act on. Earlier that day, I had been watering my vegetables in my Ugly Happy Place. Leaving the plants unattended for the weekend worried me – would they survive without water? Fellow plant lovers, you get it; leaving your crops is like leaving a pet behind. I couldn't bear the thought of returning to wilted veggies.
Disaster Strikes!
As I wrapped up work tasks, eager to activate my ‘out of office’ and tackle the daunting ‘to-do’ list, I heard my partner yell, “The polytunnel’s gone!”
What?! I leapt up, knocking my coffee over, and darted downstairs. My partner was pulling on his shoes, repeating, “The polytunnel’s blown away” I quickly put on my wellies and ran outside, only to find my beloved Ugly Happy Place had been uprooted and flung across the garden. Despite securing it with heavy oak wood, the wind had won.
Assessing the Damage
As I approached the overturned ugly green tent, the extent of the damage became clear. The poles were bent and broken beyond repair. My partner grabbed an electric tool to cut up the poles, and my mind raced from “The wildlife will eat the veg while we’re away” to “I don’t have time to deal with this!” Defeated, we had no choice but to leave the garden exposed and hope for the best.
Anxious Departure: Leaving for Scotland
Friday morning, we left for Scotland. I waved goodbye to my veg, anticipating a massacre upon our return. I tried my best to put the disaster out of my mind and enjoy the weekend, but the thought of all my hard work going to waste played over in my head like a bad song on repeat.
The entire journey back on Sunday, I thought of nothing but my vegetable patch. What state would it be in? Would the wildlife have feasted on everything? Had rodents burrowed into the beds and eaten the roots? It was torture.
A Glimmer of Hope
As we approached the garden driveway, I peeked through the car window. Could it be? Hallelujah! The veg looked intact. I jumped out of the car and inspected the leaves – not one nibble! Overjoyed, I marvelled at how the vegetables had survived untouched.
Strategic Mint Placement
Perhaps it was all down to my strategic mint placement. During my frantic Thursday night research, I’d read that rabbits avoid certain vegetables and herbs like leeks, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, and mint. Luckily, our veg beds are unintentionally set up in a way that should deter rabbits. I placed pots of mint around the beds as an extra precaution. I also discovered that deer dislike the smell of mint and chives, so I placed pots of peppermint and pineapple mint at the back of the beds, where the deer usually enter our garden.
Luck or Strategy?
Whether it was my strategy or just good luck, I don’t know. Only time will tell if the vegetable patch will continue to survive. I plan to create something a bit sturdier to protect them. However, I'm a bit sceptical about how they'll turn out in the end, given that the plants have been through quite a rollercoaster—first outside, then inside, and now back outside again.
As I sit here finishing this article, the vegetables remain untouched. It’s now Wednesday, but we will see how much longer the wildlife allows me to continue my plant-to-plate experience.
Stay tuned for future updates on the fate of my vegetable patch!
If you missed my last newsletter ‘ My Ugly Happy Place’, you can read it here!
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Hey Jenna, finally getting around to reading your brilliant posts. And oh I felt your heartbreak when I saw the picture of the tunnel 💔 gardening is a full time job and from the roughly 10 years I've been doing it I can tell you you're spot on - it's trial and error. And something will fail, every year. But that's okay 😁 looking forward to reading more x