Wascally Wabbits - A Garden Post Mortem

(Tomatillos - so close!  Rabbits ate the first batch, this second round just didn't have enough summer - the tomatillo "laterns" are just growing)

So it's early September and feeling more like fall with each passing day.  Believe it or not, Edmonton is still working those arm muscles swatting mosquitoes away (that usually ends the beginning of August, just before the wasp season kicks in) but eerily enough, there was frost on the car this morning!  Bizarre!

In the meantime, our vegetable garden is on it's own schedule.  Done are the sweet peas, the beets and radishes.  The tomatoes are on their last breadth but our fava beans are still going!  By the looks of this week's forecast, best to pick everything tonight - fava beans, eggplant, tomatoes and lettuce.

The squirrels and rabbits helped themselves to our cherries this year so we had no harvest, and those rabbits lived like kings on the argula, edamame beans and a large number of other plants.  Why, we even have a resident rabbit who has taken to our front lawn - barely bothered by us humans at all!

(Resident Thumper and the edible shrubs)

Notice the wonderful coverage he gets from the rain and wind!  I wonder if this is the same rabbit, all grown up, that lived under this shrub last year? Regardless of when he moved in, no one can deny this is his territory, as his body imprint is firmly carved into the wood chips and shrubs in his short absence!  My inventive husband made some cages to place over the plants that were almost completely consumed - roots and all -  and the plants are starting to come back!  YES!

As I have yet to witness wascally wabbits hanging from the branches of our apple tree, I wondered if the apples would be up for grabs to these critters as well.  But much to my delight, the apples seem OK and are still growing!

(Goodland apple tree holding it's own)

I did notice that our neighbours apple trees are completely bare - just like our cherry tree - could rabbits get to them, or more likely squirrels?  I have read that the bee population is decreasing rapidly and also wondering if this will be the fate of our apple tree next year?  Since I am completely uneducated on fruit trees I guess that's something to figure out before next spring!

Has anyone had similar issues this year with their fruit trees?

All in all, our garden, like our summer, was too short and very patchy.  I hope next year brings more stable weather and the City of Edmonton builds a few rabbit shelters in our neck of the woods - I don't know how many more squatters our poor garden can handle!  But until then, our family can feast on the last harvest of the season.  I guess a trip to the Farmer's Market next week.....

K