Kansas garden warfare

Coming from the Pacific Northwest I never dreamed that growing food in Kansas would be a war.
Every year I would plant peppers - Anaheim, Jalapeño and Cayenne. I would have a bumper crop of peppers and end up drying them in the garage over the winter and give way to friends.

Last year I planted the same peppers and I got 1 Anaheim, 3 Jalapeño and around 10 Cayenne, This year my husband planted them in a seasoned bale of hay to keep them a bit higher off the ground so the bunnies 🐇and squirrels might leave them alone.Two of the three plants were chewed to nubs and the third plant has one Anaheim pepper that is hanging on for dear life.

Sad and lonely pepper. 

My husband and I have drawn up a battle plan for 2021. We will strategically build raised beds in the fall, we will use hay bales for our soil, by spring the hay will have broken down and we will add a bit of topsoil and other natural soil additives.  Once we have planted our spring garden out will come the heavy fortification of netting and fencing. I suggested a moat around the raised beds, my husband suggested claymores. I vetoed the claymores as they are noisy, but I am secretly still planning a kick butt moat around the beds. Oh, I could call it a water feature, but I don't think they allow water beasts 👾to be kept in back yard moats. Kansas is like that. 🌻

We miss our wonderful back yard in Washington, but the battle wages on and what ground Kansas critters have gained, we will witness it retreating next year. I will be planting lettuce as a diversion for the bunnies and plenty of nuts  in a bowl for the squirrels.  

Our former glory days in Washington State.