I am out of town. The good news is that I have found a gardening buddy! Her name is Sue, and she's watching the patch while I'm away. Sue will be introducing herself soon. The bad news is that a (or some) deer have discovered the patch. And it (or they) like okra.

As luck would have it, I discovered the pillaging the day I met Sue for the first time as I was showing her the patch (after bragging that my amateur method of keeping out pests and poachers had been working). Hubris much?

The deer only chowed some okra plants, a few tomatoes, and one branch of a cucumber plant. Interestingly, it (or they) munched the corner where the Italian parsley is growing, but stayed away from the areas guarded by chives and mint. (Perhaps we should plant more.)

We'll be figuring out a fence, physical or chemical, soon. I tried to reach Scott at Alsip Nursery on Friday for their assistance and advice, but haven't heard back yet and I had to leave Saturday.  

In the meantime, a friend is watching my plants, cat, and house, while Sue minds Patch's patch. I'm pleased that she's willing to help for the rest of the growing season! I like her and you will too. Sue's looking into mid-summer vegetables to use some of that extra space--cabbage, maybe, or onions.

Do you have mid-summer start vegetable suggestions? Or cheap/easy deer repelling methods? Tell us in the comments.