damn the deer!

sun gold cherry tomatoes

Last night I did a garden check to make sure the plants are doing okay.  The plants that have been replanted into containers are all doing very well and looking lovely (with the exception of the watermelon which I still cannot tell will make it).  Those guys have also been secured behind chicken wire.  The plants that we've run out of containers for, however, have been growing well but left vulnerable to the deer.

cherokee purple flower!

Yesterday, this is what my cherokee purple tomato plant looked like.  A flower!  Finally.  I did a garden check at lunch today, however, and the deer have completely taken off that branch.  No more flower.

the white stuff is epsom salt dissolved in water. I read that the magnesium encourages pepper growth.

Luckily, though they gnawed on my blushing pepper plant, they did not get the pepper.  I was hoping that there was some adverse affect for those that ate leaves of a nightshade family plant, but no such luck.  It's funny-- when I first moved here and saw deer in the city, my concern was for them: being driven out of wherever they live to seek food, and the danger that they might be hit by a car.  No longer.  Now, I understand why people call deer pests.

eggplant flowers

Though the deer have done some damage, they haven't touched my happy pot eggplant.  Those purple flowers are so beautiful-- and this plant is breaking out with them everywhere.  Hopefully that means many eggplant are coming!

Cucumber flowers

The pride and joy of my garden these days, however, are the tomatillos.  I am hopeful that my two plants are cross-fertilizing, but never having grown tomatillos before I do not know if these lanterns will be fruit or are somehow red herrings!  In any case, allow me to regale you with photos of what I hope to be some of the first tomatillo fruits of the garden!

Hopefully, more to come!