Sunday, April 26, 2009

Summertime?

Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it. ~Russel Baker

I don't want to sound as though I'm complaining...but...

It was ninety degrees here yesterday.

NINETY.

In April.

In New Hampshire.

I haven't even tilled my veggie garden yet -- had planned to do that this weekend so I could put out the cold weather crops like carrots and peas.

But it was too hot to put out my cold weather crops. Anyone else find that ironic?

I'm not too worried, though, because by mid-week, the temps are dropping thirty degrees again. After this weather, 65 degrees is going to be frigid. I worry when this kind of thing happens, because it encourages the more delicate plants to start growing and then -- WHAMMO! -- it freezes again and kills them.

Not that it matters, really, since the Cunning Voles of Doom are doing a bang-up job killing everything anyway.

Yesterday, I was looking out my front window at my pretty grape hyacinths that are just beginning to bloom when a vole ran across my "vole repellent" and started to nibble on the greens. A short time later, DH was putting out ant traps and saw a vole having a snack on my peonies. I wondered why they weren't coming up as well as they usually do.

I've been doing massive amounts of research on vole control, and the two really effective poisons for them are illegal in New Hampshire. My options? Snap-traps (ugh) or anti-coagulant poison (ugh, again). The snap traps I don't like for two reasons: I don't want to have to handle their little corpses AND they're random -- so I could catch squirrels, chipmunks and heavens knows what else. And the anti-coagulant poison is torture, plain and simple.

So... what do I do? I'm at my wits end. One of my true joys in life is gardening, and it's become such a stressful situation, I'm not sure I shouldn't just dig everything up and plant grass.

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Judy and I are in the midst of a writing challenge: 7500 words in two days. In fact, I still have 6000 words to write by tomorrow morning, so I will bid you adieu. Have a great Sunday!

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7 comments:

Ceri Hebert said...

I fear for the new garden we planted. Not from voles, but from freezing temps. Grr.

Becky said...

I haven't had a garden for a few years now. We had just moved and I am thinking about growing some plants is containers. I havent' decided which ones yet.

Tori Lennox said...

Hugs!!! Wish I had a solution for you.

Brandy said...

I wish I knew a way to help you with the voles. And I hear you on the weather. It was 90 here yesterday, too. Though we're used to high temps in the Spring and Summer. Oh, gosh, especially the summer. *G*

I hope today is better for you!

Allie Boniface said...

I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU STILL HAVE A VOLE PROBLEM!

Michele said...

Aw, M~!
I can't believe the voles are that persistent!
Cats? Killer Cats? Huning cats?
Vole Hunting Special Forces Cats?

What is the natural enemy of voles? Fox?

I wish I could come up with a great idea for you, M.

And gee.it was HOT?? LOLOL

By the ocean , it was sort of cool and windy and on Saturday, we wore pants. On one half of the Cape it was Foggy and windy and amazing and the other half? windy, clear and beautiful for walking the salt marsh trails.

When I got home today, I practically melted from the heat.
I got used to those balmy breezes from off of the ocean.

Wish you were there!

groovyoldlady said...

One word for you: BB Gun.

Wait...that's two!