Thanks for all the invaluable info, Steve. The varmint problem is severe here. A couple years ago we built 4500 feet of hi-tension , 8 foot electric fence. Major project, but the deer were killing us. No more deer, but plenty of crows - who feasted this year when our lake pump started sucking air and 2500 tomato plants, laden with ripening fruit, withered and died in 100+ temps in late May. What a heartbreaker for our volunteers who had worked so hard with all that weaving etc! We got about 25% of expected yield.
Would the more expensive drip tape, with a harder wall, eliminate, or at least greatly reduce, the crow and gopher damage. The crows are so bad we can't grow melons anymore - they destroy every single one- and the covers didn't work-out very well for us.
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Is this my old friend, Bud - from Bachelor, LA? I worried about you during the last flood on the Missisippi - Bachelor was ground zero according to TV reports! I think of you often - especially when weaving toms - you taught us so much about this business. The elderly volunteers hate the weaving system and want to go back to half cages- all that stooping is killing their backs. Some have quit. I myself have to walk on my knees - especially on that bottom run! All the younger members of our church have to work everyday!
We're finally being forced into drip tape :-)! Our 4 acre pond is virtually dry - the catfish have ticks on their backs! We were hoping for more rain from TS Lee, but y'all hogged most of it.LOL We did get a couple inches, which had no effect on the pond. And they are predicting a dry winter. We're completely shut-down - many volunteers have drifted away to other things and the church is losing interest in our project. We're just spending money now with no revenues! (mostly our personal money LOL - and Darlene is starting to apply the brakes). So, all in all, these are pretty tough times for market gardeners.
God bless you and your family - and thanks again for all your past help. Pray for rain over this way.
Jack
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