80 some hot pepper plants gone!

 

After spending the hottest days here planting over 80 different hot pepper plants a few weeks ago, I went out to hoe the tomatoes and my heart sank.   To be honest, I wanted to throw up.  Gardeners would understand.

Something got thru, or over the fence, and chewed the tops off of all the hot pepper plants.   Just chewed off the top and left it lay.

I could sit and wonder all day (in anger, despair and frustration), but we don't know if it was a very small baby rabbit (never had this happen with the fence), or a squirrel or even rats (according to our google search inquiry).  Our fence on that garden is meant to keep rabbits and squirrels out.  However, our property butts up to woods that surround a tributary to a river, so it could be anything coming out of that area as well.  It's not deer.  We even have solar alarms around it, but not every single section is covered with an alarm.

We now have two rolls of bendable  (very small holes) fence to wrap the metal fence.  However, I'll be honest and say I'm ready to throw in the towel on growing a garden next year at all.  I'm so frustrated and angry it's exhausting.

The roots are still there, and yes there is a possibility they'll recover, but the rodent chewed the tops off from the bottom. 

My "weed" garden has a much shorter fence with bigger holes and nothing has eaten any of the herbs or plants in that.  

80 some hot pepper plants gone!  ©  June 2026 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart