On pests and practicing science

Right now a very serious DAILY threat to Mega Garden is Marmota monax or the groundhog, woodchuck, ground chunk... whatever you want to call it. I've been patrolling first thing in the morning before work and first thing when I get home... studying the ground... searching for signs of activity around the fence... and IN the garden (though thankfully no more damage since the weekend). Young Marmota monax are out there in force. Waiting to find that weak place in your garden fence so it can eat all your precious plants.

It seems like gardening is one of those few commonly practiced human activities that deals with direct relationships with nature. Complete cycles of life... and death.

In his essay Drink Deep, or Taste Not the Pierian Spring, the late Stephen Jay Gould commented on how many people 'do science'... all the time! Science is NOT limited to laboratories after all. Gould writes:

"Millions of Americans love science and have learned the feel of true expertise in a chosen expression. But we do not honor these expressions by categorization within the realm of science, although we certainly should, for they encompass the chief criteria of detailed knowledge about nature and critical thinking based on logic and experience."

Amongst a list of some of these expressions is... gardening! Indeed it is hard not to feel like a naturalist sometimes. Your constantly building up extensive knowledge about the life cycles of several species of plants. It doesn't take one long to learn and observe that its not JUST all about the plants (even though that's what my stomach wants to believe), its about the whole ecosystem that this garden is a part of. Pests are one easy way to have the blunt rude and unpleasant realization that- your garden vegetables are part of so much more than the dinner plate. The massive activity of microbes in the soil that allow life to happen. The raging appetite of a grazing white tailed deer that would bring destruction. The peaceful toad or garter snake snacking on various insects when your not around. The ghostly mycological world giving and taking away. Its amazing all the things you can learn about the natural world from observing the comings and goings of a simple backyard garden. 

When problems arise with our vegetables that 'critical thinking based on logic and experience' starts kicking in almost immediately. I've been reading on other gardening blogs similar (to the exact) pest problems that my garden has been having. Its always interesting to see how folks problem solve these scenarios... trying to figure out what the intruder is, learning the detailed signs of the pests presence, logically determining what methods of deterrence may work or face off with the enemy in all its unpleasantness.

The Sons of the Fourth of July soon grow up into formidable adults such as this one caught last summer.

After dispatching the juvenile groundhog I caught red handed amongst my red cabbage I began really investigating the whole situation... I'm still trying to figure it all out... its a process of learning. Being that the value of my vegetables is so great, there is an heightened need to learn how to deal with the situation now. I realized that, as much as I had hoped that a good sound fence would deter unwelcome visitors- it does not unfortunately.

This gardener has gone from defense to offense. I began to examine the space around the garden. I soon located a burrow within... literally ten feet of the south side of the garden. Going by my previous experience I was able to determine this as a potential site of a groundhogs home. A hav-a-hart trap was strategically positioned at the entrance using various methods I've been developing and successfully caught- another juvenile groundhog- exactly like the one from a few days ago that was IN my garden. How long would it have taking THIS one to find its way to my red cabbage? Needless to say, in less than a week there are now two less groundhogs in the world- and good riddance. And yet this is not the end for today upon my afternoon patrol of the ramparts I found more attempts at unwelcome entrance along the fence. No less than half a dozen separate places along one side of the fence had FRESH scratching and digging marks in the soil. I had carefully patrolled this morning- mind you, therefore all this activity happened within the day. Note that it happened DURING the day and within a short period.

Example of a groundhogs ability to burrow under a fence.

While I had hoped that the two juveniles were the end of it, it is not. They will not stop trying to get in. With the small efforts of the groundhog(s) in the span of eight hours in mind... try to imagine if it/they had several days to work on it uninterrupted. This is what happened to me last year when I took a week vacation to Washington, DC (see above). When the gardeners away the groundhogs will play!

The quest to control the groundhog threat thus continues. I must muster together my experience, logic and critical thinking to figure out how to deal with this foe of farm and garden.