Last weekend Thompson killed a bunny.
I was cleaning out a wasted lettuce bed and I caught him out of the corner of my eye hovering over something on the ground just in time to see it twitch for the last time. Then, out of the other eye, I saw another bunny run out of the yard. Thompson didn’t pay it any attention. I’m pretty sure he was still processing his deed. He carried the dead bunny around the yard poking at it with his muzzle, licking it as if waiting for it to come alive and play tag some more. Reminded me of Lennie in Of Mice and Men…
I, on the other hand, didn’t feel sad at all. A few weeks ago, I transplanted some beets into the garden – about 50 plants which I individually set in the ground. Plants that I grew from seed. They were doing great for a few days and then one afternoon, poof, they were gone. I’m pretty certain John the Rabbit got them. So, while I think bunnies are super cute, the way I figure it this one kind of had it coming.
This week it was my turn to take some lives in the name of protecting our food supply. While, I didn’t draw any blood, this time (see a previous post about a time when I had to) I still felt bad about pulling a hundred plants up when they were still producing food. Food infested with bugs, and holes made by those bugs, but food nonetheless. We all know the saying you have to sow in order to reap, but sometimes it works the other way around.
Our 2014 greens beds are now fully replanted for fall/winter growing and harvesting – spinach, kale, swiss chard, mustard, radicchio, lettuce, arugula, herbs, scallions, beets, carrots, and boc choi. Just in time for the harvest moon.
Sorry John, we won’t be sharing any of these.
Over the Fence Urban Farm 