Yesterday, Farmer Kev delivered our CSA share. In his nifty wooden crate, he brought us cucumbers, summer squash, zucchini, garlic, green beans, dill, basil, and red potatoes. But no melons. In an email to customers, Farmer Kev had mentioned that soon there would be melons in his deliveries.

“I can’t wait for the melons,” I said to him as he handed me the crate.

“Let’s just hope I can keep the gophers away from them,” Farmer Kev said.

“Are they getting a lot of the melons?”

“Yeah, the gophers are a real problem. We’ve tried using Have-a-Heart traps, and we are going to sprinkle cayenne pepper around the plants.”

Farmer Kev smiled at me and shrugged. He’s very young—just out of college—but he’s certainly well aware of the many challenges farmers face, from too much water to tomato blight to gophers. Yet on he goes, planting crops and hoping for the best.

“Wile E Gophers,” I said.

“Wile E Gophers,” Farmer Kev repeated. Then with a slight wave, he went back to his car, which was loaded with crates and vegetables, and drove off to finish his deliveries.

Will we get melons in the next week or two? Will the gophers prevail? Or will Farmer Kev?

The contest continues. Stay tuned.