October 2, 2012

Basil's Victory


You guys, we all knew it was a matter of time before it happened...

We're beginning to wonder if we are doomed in our plans to grow grapevines. We were naive to think Basil hadn't been plotting his master plan for 7 months since getting a hold of the first of the two grapevine plants we brought home back in February.


We'd kept them out of his reach over the remainder of the winter, spring and summer while they recovered and detailed how we transplanted them back within his reach early last month. Remember how much promise we had (I was dreaming of a Pinot Noir on the patio after the crush next year):


We should have known when he went over for a few sniffs right away that it would just be a matter of time:
 

It all must have just been too much temptation. After so many months had passed, we figured we could trust him, alas, he let us know what a little patience and perseverance will do for keeping your eye on the prize....

Needless to say we were pretty disappointed to come out on the back patio to this sight:


He literally stripped the vine of all it's spring growth and leaves (except for one) and then somehow with his puppy strength clamped down on the base of the plant and uprooted it in some sort of terrible Weimaraner victory.


After trying to salvage and repair what was left of the grapevine by replanting it, we've been keeping a tighter eye on you know who when outside, and trying to think of other solutions for keeping these grapevines safe from the grapevine beast.

In other garden news, 2 of the garlic cloves we planted a couple weekends ago have sprouted and seem quite happy getting acquainted in their new home for the next several months:


We're not sure if garlic clove #3 is a dud, a late bloomer, or has been eaten by a squirrel. We'll keep an eye on it, that's for sure.

We finally harvested all of the peppers from our front planters which became the start of this little stuffed pepper recipe I whipped together later that night:


We're keeping an eye on the remaining pepper plants in the event they look to produce more, but have some fall mums in mind to replace the peppers with when the time is right.

So this is how things are going in the garden if we're keeping it real in our little world. What's going on in your garden these days? Any mishaps, failures, or other anomalies that keep you on your toes?

16 comments

  1. :( Awww poor grape vine! Thank goodness my dog isn't that curious! hahaha

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    1. Too funny — we replanted it, but we shall see...

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  2. Frost hit mine the gardening season is over for me :(

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  3. Isn't it sight not site ?
    Anyway, no, no, Basil!
    To which he responds, I unplanted, woo!
    Love dirt, love dirt, love dirt.

    Maybe some fencing around the grape vine barrels? or hardware cloth?

    My cats dig also, and we have deer.
    You just have squirrels & Basil to contend with!

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    1. Karen, you are so right, thanks for catching that!!! Thanks for the tips — love your idea for hardware cloth.

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  4. Try planting a couple of hot pepper plants near the grapevine. Make sure they're away from your other pepper plants though. They will cross pollenate.

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    1. Now that's an idea! A natural deterrent and one we can eat as well! Thanks for the tip!

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  5. Does Basil get greens in his diet? He may just be wanting some fresh greens. Grape leaves are full of nutrition! Best of luck to you!

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    1. Good question Pamela — he does get greens every so often but maybe not enough. This is something we should look into!

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  6. It looks like Basil was telling you that you didn't root prune that grape vine before you planted it out! He was just doing it for you...imagine his chagrin when you told him off? I bet that is the LAST time that he helps you garden now! It will take a lot of time to win his gardening trust back but some day he will help you again ;)

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    1. Hahaha, yes I think you are right. Maybe now the grapevines will prosper since they've been properly treated!

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  7. Your peppers look gorgeous, but oh my word! What is it about grape vines!? How crazy. And he uprooted it so perfectly. :( You're going to need to suspend them in the air next time! ;)

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    1. Thanks Jasanna those peppers were also delicious. We replanted so we hope that was the last of that.

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  8. I planted a grapevine and a banana tree that my dogs loved...I used a recyled plastic bottle with bottom cut and top cut around the base of the grapevine and pushed slightly into the ground. They never bothered it again. They love these plants because of how they smell for them. Once established and gets larger then you can remove the bottle by cutting it open.

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    1. Wow what a great idea, although we had seen that before we certainly did not think of it this time. We are going to keep that in mind for spring planting.

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