Awwww..... Man!

Well, I have spoken of the various challenges facing gardeners. And, I experienced one of the most exacerbating one's yesterday.  My cucumbers have been growing quite well this year.  As these are probably my wife's favorite veggie that I grow, I decided it was time to pick one that I had my eyes on for a day or two.  I was letting it mature to the right size and all seemed well.  That is, until this happened.

Yup!  What a disappointment that was.  And, this is all because of a squirrel.   I've seen them in my garden and their damage is undeniable. Squirrels present an ever present threat to your gardens.  There really isn't a vegetable they don't like.  I'm sure they look down from the power lines or the trees and simply cannot resist the storehouse of edibles that lay beneath them.
There really isn't much you can do about it.  I've tried many types of deterrents with minimal results.  I've just found it easier just to grow a few extra of whatever vegetable that I want.  I was told once by another gardener to grow three of every vegetable - 2 for you and one for the varmints.  These can run the gamut of squirrels, rabbits, moles, feral cats, mice and even a groundhog.  None of which, I make any attempt to welcome into my "back 40".
My worst experience was with a groundhog.  They can get rather large and can do pretty extensive damage to your garden and worse - to your yard and even house.  And, trying to catch one is difficult.  In our region, if you do catch one, you have to then release it back to nature.  I had the recurring scenario (nightmare really) of catching it and then having to drive far away and then managing to release it without incident.  Not sure that would have ended well.  I was always concerned that the little dog we had at the time would end up injured or worse.  I did take measures to make it's life a little more uncomfortable every opportunity I had.  So, I waited it out and after a couple of summers, it seemed to have just gone on its own way.
So I guess I view "squirrel loss" as not so catastrophic in comparison.  And hey, squirrels need to eat too!  Right?  As long as old Mr. Squirrel leaves me some for my efforts, I think we can just coexist with each other.
So there you have it.  Just another experience in the world of gardening.  Until next time, Happy gardening everyone!