The Swiss Chard Bandits

The Swiss Chard Bandits

This year, I grew Swiss chard in both our urban garden and at the lake. As expected, the urban garden Swiss chard flourished—growing strong, vibrant, and ready for harvest. The lake Swiss chard, however, struggled all season long.

Just as the lake growing season was coming to an end, I was finally looking forward to enjoying what little Swiss chard had managed to grow. But one morning, I stepped outside and—poof!—every single leaf had vanished.

It wasn’t just nibbled on—it looked like someone had come in with a pair of garden shears and neatly trimmed off all the leaves, leaving nothing but bare stems. Nothing else was touched.

I was puzzled. Had the deer made their way onto the deck? Were there rodents? Birds? Some kind of stealthy midnight gardener?

Then, as I was about to step outside for an early morning hike, I spotted them.

🦝 The Swiss Chard Bandits. 🦝

A couple of fat, guilty-looking raccoons were lurking nearby, clearly well-fed and completely unapologetic after what was obviously a successful midnight feast.

Now I can’t help but wonder—will they remember this little deck garden next year? Will they show up earlier, expecting another Swiss chard buffet? I guess we’ll find out! 🦝🥬✨