Animals got to feast on first plants

The war has begun and I have lost the first skirmish. I bought some pansies at the store last week. A six-pack of spinach jumped into my cart to keep them company. I planted the pansies and half of the spinach into a raised planter. The rest of the spinach went into the garden. A day later everything was settling in nicely.
Two days after that the spinach in the garden was gone. All that was left were the root balls. At least the ones in the planter survived. I planted onions in the garden where the spinach had been. For good measure, I arranged sticks on top so the thieves would at least have to work for their meals.
The next day several of the onion sets were on top of the ground instead of nestled into the earth like I had left them. The sticks had been rearranged to spell out, “We would rather have spinach,” in critter hieroglyphics. At least that’s what I think it said. I’m not sure if the thieves were rabbits or squirrels, nor am I fluent in reading their language. At least they are eating healthy food.
My next plan is to get out the chicken wire and cover the early plants. This will require a major excavation into the garage. Who knows what else I’ll find while I’m out there. I expect the rabbits to pool their resources with the evil squirrels to figure out how to get to the veggies once they are covered.
I had to make a trip to the home improvement store this weekend. I found some chicken wire and choked at the price. I quickly put it back on the display. I vowed to keep searching the garage.
The store employees were busy stocking the shelves in the gardening section. Everything from herbs, tomatoes, and peppers to daisies and roses beckoned to me. The weather was superb and the temptation was great. I heaved a bag of potting soil into the cart. A soggy pot of parsley jumped in behind it. It was joined by a pink flower that I had never heard of before but couldn’t resist. I made my escape before I bought anything else.
It is too early to plant tomatoes and peppers. The soil isn’t nearly warm enough and Mother Nature might not be done with early morning frosts. I am not one to cover up plants when the forecast says I should, therefore, I shall wait another week or two before I plant any more vegetables for the rabbits and evil squirrels to steal.
I don’t bother with cold hardy vegetables such as broccoli or cauliflower. Kale and other leafy greens aren’t appealing to me. I suppose I could have picked up a package of snap peas but I’d rather buy all my seeds at once. I’ll wait another week or two before filling the rest of the garden. I do have some shallots that need to be planted today or maybe tomorrow.
I usually plant more than we will use. That way when the rabbits and evil squirrels go out to dinner in my raised beds there is enough produce for all of us. I tend to use barriers such as chicken wire to keep the hungry beasts away. I am not fond of using deadly chemicals as animal repellents. The animals know this and take advantage of it.
Even though I have lost the first battle with the backyard wildlife, I enjoy getting dirt under my fingernails. There is something good about tucking tiny, living things into the ground in anticipation of delicious meals in the future. Planting a garden enables me to enjoy food that tastes better than any that can be found in a store.
I don’t have to worry about diseases I can’t pronounce contaminating my produce. The colors are more vibrant. The flavors are more intense. The texture is infinitely superior. Plus, a six-pack of plants costs far less than vegetables that have been processed and shipped from far away.
Now, if I can just find that chicken wire I might be able to keep the critters away long enough for the plants to last more than a few days.