Not Berry Nice At All!

About 30 years ago, I decided to have a strawberry garden.

I went to the garden center and had the man there tell me in detail exactly what needed to be done to have a successful strawberry garden.

It required lots of digging, lots of amending, all kind of details to which I attended faithfully.

Then I planted the little plants, lovingly.

Now keep in mind that I was spending money I really didn't have to fulfill this wish. I could see the lovely berries, taste their sweetness....I was ready to preserve them and make shortcakes.

I had done everything required.

The little plants grew very satisfactorily.

They flowered. And then they began to show signs of tiny little berries, first green and then beginning to turn white.

And then over night - they were gone!

The rabbits had shorn them to the ground. There weren't even shreds to keep my dashed hopes company on that forlorn little patch of barren earth.

It really broke my heart.

A few years later I tried once more, this time shielding the little garden with chicken wire.

It kept the "chickens" out. But not the rabbits.

I never tried again.

Until a few weeks ago.

A neighbor cleaned out his garage and put a strawberry jar on the curb.

We got it, cleaned it up, filled it with good soil and then Larry went and got me some healthy little plants which I secured within the pot's holes.

They took of like blazes! They grew quickly. Almost over night there were beautiful pink and white blossoms. The pot held new growth to show me every morning.

Finally the blossoms began to develop into berries. Some were quite large.

On Saturday evening there were at least 20 berries looking very healthy and promising.

On Sunday morning there were none! There were no berries, no blossoms.

By Monday, whoever the culprit is, had begun to eat the leaves!

I'm considering electrifying the pot.

But I guess that wouldn't be "berry" nice. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm