I've seen an adolescent coyote several times in recent weeks. Always early in the morning, 5:30 to 7:00 AM. He moves across the fields at a trot, sniffing the air, pausing occasionally to listen and look around. Hunting for breakfast I imagine. Sunday morning he had a dead crow in his mouth. I'm glad he … Continue reading Critter Report

That's what I wanted to yell to farm intern, Liz Green, today when I saw the woodchuck at the far end of the field feasting on newly planted lettuce. We don't have a gun, and it'd probably be illegal to fire one in Belmont. Instead, I asked her to grab the "woodchuck supplies". Shovel and … Continue reading “Liz, get the gun!”

I know it's not at all befitting for a farmer to be squeamish, but I am. At least when it comes to dead rodents. My dear husband joined me for "rodent patrol" in the hoop house Sunday morning. His job was to empty any full mouse traps we found. We just found one. I'm pretty … Continue reading Gotcha!

A four-legged, beady-eyed, hungry, seed thief greeted me this afternoon as I was checking the newly potted-up tomatoes. It was a field mouse on top of a bench in the hoop house, a bench four foot off the ground! He scampered away when I yelled at him. I swear, he would have kept eating the … Continue reading Thief!