Gardening Grief

You remember how we built vertical supports covered with garden trellis so our many tomatoes and squash plants could vine?

Here's what's left of that.

It survived through the peas, but I think that was because the peas were so early in the season.  The netting just rotted.  If something named garden trellis can't last through a season, what will?  The website has this description of it: 

"Give your vine crops (peas, pole beans, cucumbers) and flowers (morning glories, sweet peas, nasturtiums) the space they need to thrive! Soft, unobtrusive netting made of nylon with 60-lb breaking strength, it can support very heavy crops. The 7 inch reach-thru mesh makes harvesting easy. An essential product for every gardener, this knotless netting prevents tangling and comes with an Unconditional Lifetime Guarantee. 5 ft x 60 ft. Supports not included."

I was upset enough that I called the company and they credited me for the purchase.  I wanted to ask them if they'd also come out and help me stake all my plants and mourn the tomato plants that were broken when I tried to put them in cages, but I did not.  Customer service reps don't get paid enough to deal with bad attitudes; I know that.

In other news, squash plants do not belong in a square foot garden.

This is what was left after I pulled out all the garden trellis and tried to haul the squash off of the other plants.  One squash had tendrils wrapped around a pepper plant, squeezing the life out of it.  I've just tried to manhandle them as much as possible (without breaking them) so most of the plant is growing out the back of the garden.  If my backyard is taken over by squash, so be it.

THEN I took a good look at my tomatoes.  Horror.

I stood, stunned, and stared at them.  The carnage was too high to blame it on a rabbit.  What could have done such a terrible thing?

Then I found it.

Dear lord, a tomato worm.  Following the example of my uncle, I put the bastard on top of our bird feeder, called out, "Anybody need protein?" and walked away.

I saw him snickering at me from the ground later.  I had horrible visions of him trekking his way back to the garden, so I checked again this morning but saw no sign of him.  Maybe I should have thrown him into the composter.  He would have lots of food until he died from the heat.   Maybe I just should have squished him.

I may not be cut out for gardening.