A Good Friend Missed
Last week I found my boy bunny dead in his pen. Evidently a racoon gorred him in the middle of the night. It was very sad and a real bummer. Boy bunny was the most friendly animal, and perhaps this was his undoing. When I walked up to his pen, he’d come dashingt to me hoping I had walnut or fruit snacks. Everyday while I garden he’d keep my company, and I’d talk to him. He’d watch me from behind the fence, and I’d throw him snacks (leaves, stems, etc..). He even let me pet him while my three girl bunnies just run. After this coon attack, I now gather my bunnies up every night and put them in their cages, and their cages are now in the garage.
Coons can reach through cage wire and will still tear apart their victims. Coons can also dig under fences, climb over, etc. If you have a chicken coop, you actually need to fully fence (top and bottom) you chickens in, and a concrete or 2′ rock foundation/barrier is suggested. Coons are notorious carnivores on small farm animals, and will eat kittens and bunnies if hungry enough. They prefer fowl however. This has kind of put a halt to my purchase of further livestock given I have no defense at this moment. Friends have suggested electric fences or a dog. Not sure yet. Coons are very rare where I live, but in summer when water is low and hungry, they will travel just like any other animal.
This was my last picture of him.
The boy bunny might not be the last. My brown bunny (girl) had a 5 or 10 minute rendevuous with him about two weeks ago, and now she’s fatter than ever. I think she’s pregnant! If any girl bunny was pregnant she’s the best. She’s the most healthy and calmest. Bunnies are so dumb, they are known to trample their babies if not careful. Also, their babies grow up real fast– one month. If you like pets, I recommend male bunnies as the male is more outgoing and less likely to dig holes or escape pens. My bunnies are straight-ear cotton tails. . Anyway, I miss my boy-bunny. Good bye…
Broccoli
I harvested my row of Broccoli last week. It was kind of disappointing. Out of fifteen, I only had three with large heads. The rest grew to only bite- size proportions. Alotogether I had perhaps as much as two family servings of broccoli. I expected more. I suspect the problem was hard soil and late transplanting. Now I am discovering after H2O, good and loose soil is most important. You must till your soil if hard clay. As you water clay conditions will return unless tilling between harvests. The broccoli took twice as long to grow as spinach, is a bigger plant, but does not yield the same in my opinion. I am use to large broccoli heads in supermarkets. These were big enough plants, but tiny heads.
When to pick broccoli? If you wait too long the heads will start to flower. When heads flower, they begin to turn purple. Once you see a purple tinge, pick! If they flower too much, the plant will then taste slightly bitter. My bunnies love broccoli whether flowered or not. It’s hard to see the brown bunny in this pix, but she’s there. You might be able to discern her ears. Good camo!
Bunny Trails 