Pets in the Winter Vegie Garden

Category: Pets | Posted: Sat Dec 19, 2009 6:13 pm

I was sure our two weeks of low temperatures that dropped into the single digits for multiple days would be the undoing of my brussel sprouts and all-season cauliflower. The kale I expected to survive, but you never know.... The smell of decaying cole crops was heavy in the back yard, but my work schedule has me leaving in the dark and getting home in the dark. Our short 8 hours of daylight days mean I see little, since the backyard lights only hit the edge of the garden. I would have to wait until the week-end to see the damage.

The bench to use for getting into the vegie garden ( photo / image / picture from Jewell2009's Garden )

The dogs, Ciara and Kota had been slipping into the garden area where a hydrangea was just stems. I put up some old fencing to try and keep them out, but they were stepping on an old garden bench and stepping over. All this time I figured they were drawn by the reek of rotting vegies. Today I was surprised that they had been eating good vegies that were not rotten. They were enjoying tasty sprouts and the heads of some of my cole crop vegies.

Yum, yum, good ( photo / image / picture from Jewell2009's Garden )

Well, I was not real enthusiastic about harvesting brussel sprouts, so after munching on a few and gathering a few I pulled four of the dozen plants for the dogs. Ciara and Kota will enjoy them for some time and hopefully stay out of the garden leaving the rest to us. What else was I to do?

Ciara enjoying her brussel sprouts ( photo / image / picture from Jewell2009's Garden )

more, more ( photo / image / picture from Jewell2009's Garden )

Engrossed in finding the tenderest sprouts ( photo / image / picture from Jewell2009's Garden )

Yes the cold did damage, but it was mainly to the tender leaves at the bottom of the plants which rather surprised me. All the cole crops are now really, really sweet and ready for harvesting through the winter. The variety of kale I grew this year was much more susceptible to cold unlike the hardier varieties that I have grown in the past. It is still good, just not as sweet as the sprouts. Over all I am pleased and with luck, come spring I will still get some very early cauliflower....if the dogs don't eat the plants before then.

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Comments

kuntrygal wrote on Sat Dec 19, 2009 7:28 pm:

Caught in the act!!!! So funny!

Frank wrote on Sat Dec 19, 2009 11:27 pm:

Dogs like brussel sprouts? Who knew :)

Jewell2009 wrote on Sun Dec 20, 2009 3:19 am:

Dobermans really like their vegies. For several years I gave up vegetable gardening because our old male dobie would stand on the fence and stretch to reach any and everything available (I never let him know he could jump). I thought it was just him but our two rescued females are developing a taste and are becoming just as tenacious. I will have to plan accordingly this next spring.

lulu1107 wrote on Sun Dec 20, 2009 1:16 pm:

Absolutely adorable! It's hard to stay mad at these cuties. What a compliment they have given your garden! I think I would have been tempted as well! Those sprouts look DEEELISH!