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| My one solitary pepper |
There are few occasions in a
gardening situation that should leave one feeling murderous, but last Thursday
was one of them. Six-ish weeks ago I
sowed a tray of Minimix Peppers that eventually sprouted into eleven little
seedlings and I successfully transferred them outside without immediately dying
two weeks ago. Even so I had my
seedlings under careful watch as a couple looked a little droopy and I hoped
not to lose too many.
Its’ my own fault, I blame
myself. I was a little neglectful and
didn’t check on them for a couple of days, foolishly believing they would
remain safe and happy under their fleecy covering. It didn’t occur to me that it been rather wet
for a couple of days. When at last I
checked on them there was but one seedling standing tall in the tray. I was stumped. Where had all the others gone?! Only little green stumps remained to mark
their previous existence. I had one of
those situations where your mind can’t understand what is before your eyes so
comes up with a ridiculous explanation.
Like the time my exhaust exploded and my immediate reaction was it was a
horse’s tail hanging out the end. My
only conclusion to begin with was that somehow, I had hit a horse even though I
was pretty sure Id have noticed it at the time.
Turns out exhausts are actually full of carbon fibre strands, not horse
hair. I found myself questioning
whether the mother had cut off the heads of my seedlings…then it all became
clear.
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| The slug in question, look at him nonchalant and unaware of his fate sitting feasting on my runner bean seeds |
There, lounging in one of the
cells in a tray of yet to sprout runner beans was a slug; One of those really
big, juicy grey ones. The very slug who
had eaten all but one of my peppers, the little toad. I so could have cried. Rage bubbled up inside of me; I would have my
revenge. I don’t normally like killing
things, being a vegetarian I am not responsible for many animal deaths. I accidentally mowed down a male pheasant a
couple of months ago, hitting it square on the number plate. Horrifically it flew up over the bonnet in a
bloody feathery mess as if to confront me and I felt awful about it for the
rest of the day. However the rage gave
me proverbial balls so I dug him and his little skinny friend out and
unceremoniacly dumped them on the patio took a garden knife and sliced them in
half. Only it wasn’t as quick and
painless as that. The little skinny one
was surprisingly tough and rubbery and it took five or six slices before I
realized I was using the blunt side of the knife. The big one split in an eruption of juices,
and as he gently oozed out I sat there, not feeling like I had had my revenge
but instead feeling bad. I was a
murderer. I got all moral on my ass, who
am I to serve judgment on this slug? It was only doing what slugs do. I then found it had thoroughly munched its’
way through one of my peas and several of the runner bean seeds and you know
what, suddenly I didn’t feel so bad.
At least I had one left though
right? Well I did until another
dastardly slug brunched on it the next day.
I had no qualms of ridding the world of him; I had him out and sliced
before I even knew it. So it turns out
slugs find peppers a little Moorish, and I’m going have to re sow and stake out
at night to protect them, that or buy them a pint of Guinness. I hear they like getting truly sloshed in the froth.
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| Thriving peas |
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| Less than thriving pea/completely lunched and munched upon, i.e.. decimated |
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