Plan C – Possum Pot

Possum chewed avocado tree

My strategy for dealing with possums in my garden has evolved.

Plan A – live and let live. Grow enough of everything to provide for the local fauna with plenty left over for us. If there wasn’t enough left over, at least we could go to the grocery store; possums and bandicoots don’t have that option.

Then the possum started stripping bark from my avocado tree killing it before any of us could enjoy the fruit.

Plan B – Plastic bag deterrent. Two days ago I tied plastic bags around my avocado trunk above where I think the possums might be gaining access to the tree (a branch near the fence).

This morning the nibblings in the photo above showed what a waste of time that was.

Plan C – Possum Pot. This morning I cut a plastic pot in half, cut a hole in its bottom and put it around the trunk of the tree in the hope that this will prove just too much of a hurdle for the possum. I left the plastic bags to increase the hassle factor.

If this doesn’t work, Plan D is a toss-up between a large glass of neat vodka consumed while looking out a window that does NOT give a view of my dying avocado tree (leaves rain down these days). Or possibly I’ll chop the damned tree down, turn it into mulch – tasty bark and all – and plant a thorny cactus in its spot. That’ll teach the wily old possum!

Or I can go to the shops, buy a box of avocados and live in peace and harmony with the wildlife – oooohhhhmmmmm.

Just look at the photo below. Check out all those flower buds and that new growth. This was going to be a great crop. Will any of it survive? Will the tree survive? I want to sit down and cry!

On a more constructive note, yesterday I planted basil seeds in the bed near the back door. The weather has been really warm and I think it’s time to plant straight in the ground. We’ll see if I’m right. I also planted out some thyme and rosemary that had been sprouting in pots.

Right now, all the beds are looking great. I’m slowly winning the battle against pests: I pick off cabbage moth caterpillars and squash their eggs when I find them (the eggshell trick didn’t work); aphids are being kept in check by spraying my concoction on leaves – mainly the Brussels sprouts – when I see them; I continue to add to my twig barricade around seedlings too keep the bandicoot out (more diggings this morning but their prevalence does seem to be diminishing); the coffee grounds I sprinkle around (and the twigs) have kept Tash at bay. It’s a daily job and set-backs occur, but I’m quietly optimistic. Now all my psychic energy is going into the possum pot – it’s just gotta work!

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