See my garden grow... until the Voles screw it all up!!!

Last year I really got into gardening, which was a little hard since I was living in a teeny tiny apartment with a 6x1 foot patio. In the heat of summer, my poor plants died of heat stroke if I didn't water them 3 times a day, which I never had time to do. But now, I have a 60x50 foot backyard with endless possibilities (and a killer landscape plan thanks to Joseph's Aunt... Hi Aunt Alaina!!!) and my new best friend, the drip system... set it and forget it!!!

In the beginning of February, I started my babies indoor from seed... I was feeling confident and optimistic. Joseph, that love of mine, built me 2 raised veggie beds and I got to work. I sowed tomatoes, cantaloupe, spinach, zucchini, bell peppers, squash, lettuce, pole beans and cucumbers. Then I took a trip to the local nursery and bought strawberries, and some more herbs. I was so pumped! I had tons of space and lots of love to see my garden grow...

My squash and zucchini plants were growing huge and lovely leaves to shelter their growing babies...



and then my veggie basket runneth over...



The cantaloupe vines started to crawl over the bed edge, searching for more space to roam...



and then I started to notice new cantaloupe babies every day...



My tomatoes were taller than I was...



My pole beans were crawling up the trellis, stretching for every inch of light...



After 3 large harvests and a week of 80 degree weather, my lettuce finally bolted, revealing delicate yellow flowers for me to admire from my kitchen window...





My garden was lush and happy...



...until the day when our first vole reared it's ugly head, and that's the day I shed my first tear over my garden. I went out one morning to check on my babies, and I noticed a couple holes, my asparagus plant was pushed over a couple inches, and my pole bean vine was dry and brittle. I was devastated!!! My mother-in-law came over the next day and diagnosed our problem... VOLES!!! What the F?!?!?!

As the days went on my zucchini and artichoke plants leaves became yellow (and then brown... *sigh*), bite marks appeared on my cantaloupes(*sigh*), and my basil and bell pepper plants shriveled and died (*sob*, tear). We had "Clark" come over and he wanted to start us on a monthly schedule to control the little varmints (ummmm, no), and then I spotted one burrowing in and out of the veggie bed... and do you know what came to mind... shotgun!!! No, I didn't shoot it (if I knew where the safety was, I probably would have), but I am investing in some guillotines. I'm done with being humane. I just want my babies back...