A cup of coffee or a tomato sandwich?

   Cutworms seem to love my baby tomato plants along with every other tiny plant that sprouts in the garden.  After losing a dozen or so, I decided that something had to be done about the nightly disappearance of my plants.  Since there was no way that I was going to dump a bunch of chemical insecticides on my heirloom tomato plants, the critters were just going to have to leave!  The use of insecticides sort of defeats the purpose of saving my own seeds, if you ask me!  So, I sat and pondered the problem as I drank my first mug of coffee. Hmmm...coffee?  Well, that seemed to be the answer! No, I was not going to invite the cutworms in for a sip of caffeine nor was I going to douse the garden with the stuff! I had a different idea! Mark bought some really nice disposable coffee cups this past month. Personally, I cannot stand to use anything but my favorite mug so to me, those things were readily available for use in the garden.  I cut the bottoms out of a couple dozen of the cups and made little fences for the newest tomato seedlings that were to be set in the garden.  I figured if I made the plant a bit difficult to reach, perhaps the cutworms would find an easier source of food.

  After setting out about twenty tomato plants into the garden, a bottomless cup was pressed into the soil over the plant.  Now each had its own little fence!  Of course, anyone visiting the garden might find it a tad strange that there are coffee cups in the tomato cages but, hey, it is well worth a try.  My Aunt Marie and Uncle Alfred used opened milk cartons in their garden to not only protect the tomato plants from late freezes but also keep bugs at bay.  With the lack of milk cartons, paper coffee cups would have to suffice in my garden!

  In due time, my plants might just provide me with a nice, plump tomato or two for my lunch!  If this works, tomorrow, I will set out another thirty to forty plants and cover them all with bottomless coffee cups. Since these are the waxed cups, I should be able to wash, dry and store the cups for future use.  There is no use in just tossing anything that can be recycled!  Ahhh, yep, a good cup of coffee always makes me think a bit clearer!  Coffee cup fences...who would have thought?