We definitely, certainly, without fail need fences next year. Casualties so far include: sunflowers, tomato blossoms, pea vines, spinach, scarlet runner beans, carrot tops, pumpkin leaves, zuchinni leaves, cucumber leaves. Looks like mostly deer to me (they've left footprints). Surprisingly -- no lettuce seems to have been eaten.
What we've eaten so far -- about 10 peas, many salads with the lettuce. Zuchinni is on the menu sometime this week. We'll probably try the green beans, too.
Some observations for next year: Plant less lettuce! And plant in rotation so we get multiple crops per square of smaller, more tender leaves. Don't be afraid to THIN that lettuce. Pumpkins need more than just 2x2 for a single plant. Unless I can find a way to make them more vertical, I'm thinking two plants in a hill in the center of an entire 4x4 bed. Outside corners can have something that's harvested by the time the vine takes over -- maybe the lettuce? Or something tall like sunflowers.
