As the Garden Grows

I have three cats, all outdoor guys. One is very old and he has retired to relaxing in the shade. The other two are less than a year old and play all day long. When I go to the garden, they follow me and romp through the rows, playing with the weeds I am pulling. Some time back they were chasing one another around and one of them ran right over one of my bell pepper plants, breaking it's stem and knocking it to the ground. After banishing the culprits from the garden, I studied about what to do. I hated to lose that plant because it had small peppers already and I only have 5 plants ( I already lost another to the same fate but didn't notice until the next day and the plant was too far gone to save). So I decided to try and save it. first, I broke off about 4 of the lowest leaves and stems. I then pushed a small bamboo stake in the ground and tied the plant to it to stabilize it. I then mounded up the soil around the plant to bury the spots where I removed the stems and leaves. I made sure it got plenty of water and viola! It has been over a week and the plant is still thriving. This is the first time I have ever tried first aid on my garden plants and had good results. By the way, the cats have been allowed back in the garden for now...