Last updated on December 2nd, 2011
DO WOODCHUCKS OR OTHER CREATURES think your veggie garden is…theirs? I only ask because some furry varmint had the chutzpah to enter my fenced-in Kitchen Garden last night. Apparently he enjoys kale in its raw state, not braised in vermouth, as I do. Which critters do you have to contend with, and what pains have you taken to protect your crops?
Also — have any of you been tempted to buy this electric fence? It seems like a humane way to deal with furry pests.
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Lisa Rogers says
Love your blog, Kevin! In Denver we have prairie dogs and rats(I know!) to deal with. We're in industrial open space areas that are only inhabited by large box industrial buildings and parking lots. To deal with critters we do two things: 1. we line our fence and surround with hardware cloth (1/2″). To do this we bend 48″ cloth so 24″ goes up our fence and 24″ lies down on the ground. We cover the ground wire with mulch. This prevents climbing in and burrowing under. 2. if they actually dig a hole up into the beds we stuff rock, concrete and other discouraging things in the hole. They seem to not like their holes being disturbed and go away. (We actually block any of their holes within 50 feet of our fencing and it keeps them at bay.)
Keep up the good work at Garden for the House!
Terry says
I do get the occasional rabbit, but nothing that is too bad. It has nibbled some on my pumpkin plants, but I have more than is needed, so I don't mind sharing.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Welcome, Lisa. Glad you enjoy this crazy blog/website.
Sounds like gardening in an industrial area requires industrial-strength security measures! The 1/2″ hardware cloth is a great idea (and I know first hand how difficult this material is to work with), as is blocking any nesting-holes.
I wonder…have the rats or prairie dogs ever tried to climb up and over your fence? I only ask because this, I think, is what my woodchuck is doing. I investigated the perimeter of the fence thoroughly today, and didn't see any openings at all.
Terry – Is your garden fenced in? If not, you have been very lucky!
Anonymous says
My kitchen garden is against the house so we don't get bothered even though we backup to wetland. When it was 15' away from the house we used to get mowed down by all sorts of critters
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Anonymous – very wise to have your kitchen garden next the house, where you can see it. My property is so hilly that I had to locate the garden some 300 feet away, on a level patch that borders woodland. What a temptation for all the forest creatures, right?
Terry says
I live in a typical suburb where the houses are 6 feet apart. The backyard is fenced, but of course rabbits can get through anything. There are no deer around here and we haven't seen any raccoons in years. The most trouble I get is from birds eating my berries. I think the squirrels eat some also, but I find peanuts buried in my beds alot, someone around here feeds them.
Broken Barn Industries says
Monster and Barney help (our dog and cat). There are deer all around here but up until this year we've been very lucky. Now I've got Irish Spring “soup” in little jars all throughout the flower beds, along with Monster fur. Too soon to tell if it's working. I need a haircut soon so I'll put the trimmings out there as well. There's been a woodchuck living in the field across the street for years- let's hope he stays there.
Vicki says
The local woodchuck used to only eat my parsley, until I put the parsley inside a fenced in area with the peas and lettuce. The other day he ate the tops off my dill, my cilantro, and even the tips of a few side branches of some tomato plants! Aarrrgghh! Am looking for any tips I can get on humane but permanent ways to deter woodchucks. (No, I do not have, nor will I get, a shotgun!)
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Terry – I covered my strawberries with bird-netting one year, and what a difference it made at harvest-time. This year I forgot to net, and collected only half a crop.
Big mistake for someone in your neighborhood to feed squirrels. They usually don't need surplus food in summer, so they bury it, usually digging up valuable plants in the process. Then they forget all about the buried treasure.
BBI – great tip regarding pet hair. My beagle, Lily, doesn't shed much, but I can collect substantial amounts of fur from cats Tiger and Camille, just by brushing them (which they love).
Vicki – Maybe BBI's pet-hair idea would act as a deterrent? I think my woodchuck (probably a young one) has learned to climb the Kitchen Garden fence. Oy.
Anonymous says
Don't use broken glass to deter woodchucks! My mother read that this was a good idea. It made a mess and the woodchuck had a good laugh.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Anonymous – I will take you at your word that broken glass will “not a woodchuck check!”
Tammy says
Kevin, I've read that woodchucks can climb up to about 20″. Last fall I demolished my raised beds — where our woodchucks had feasted regularly throughout the summer — and replaced them with 2'-high beds. So far this season, not a single woodchuck has gotten into the tender young plants or veggies. I worried I was just making it easier for the deer to graze without bending over, but the deer seem to be staying away too.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Tammy – glad your 2-foot high beds are working out for you. I think higher beds are good anyway, because less bending for the gardener.
Last summer I discovered a young woodchuck in the kitchen garden. He was next the 4-foot fence. I knelt down beside him, and in a calm voice said, “You are welcome to all the clover on the property. But you can not come in here.” Guess what? He slowly climbed the wire-mesh fence and then leaped over the side. I didn't see him again for the rest of the summer.
So maybe the adults can't (or won't) climb more than 2 feet. But the youngsters certainly can. Fortunately they are open-minded, and will take instruction. At least this one did!
Hoosier John says
A really effective, cheap, readily-available and easy-to-apply rabbit deterrent is… human urine!
Many years ago, when we first started gardening at our new home in the country, I had a terrible rabbit problem. The farmer we bought the land from told us about this “treatment”. It really works. Simply “apply” urine around the plants and also around the perimeter of the garden, NOT on the plants themselves. I had my preschool son trained to help in no time, which he continued to do for many years. In more populated areas, you can collect urine in a jar.
It's especially effective in the spring, when rabbits love the first tender cabbage, lettuce, and peas. It's a pretty good deterrent against groundhogs, too, from what I've heard, but I don't have them around my property.
I've recommended this fully organic and humane rabbit repellent for over 30 years, with positive and grateful feedback. Try it!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hoosier John — Yes!!! The repellent you mentioned isn't just cheap, it's FREE. And I know exactly where I'll “apply” it — near some hollyhocks. I winter-sowed these in 2009, and they were supposed to bloom this summer. But each time the leaves develop they are promptly devoured the rabbits.
Thanks for this excellent, excellent tip.
Sonja says
The critter I have to contend with the most is called a weed whacker. My hubby chopped my bean plant and now I won't have green beans. 🙁
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Sonja – I like how you referred to the weed whacker, not your husband, as the “critter!”
Happily it's not too late to plant green beans. I've been sowing them every two weeks.
trillium says
We have a family of woodchucks happily living next door, enjoying the supplemental fruits and vegetables our neighbor daily feeds them.
We have fenced our garden – 14″ underground and 3 feet tall. It isn't a deterrent as they just scamper over! They have chowed down all our potted plants, and seem to love grasses and holly hocks.
Yesterday I wrapped the grasses and other special plants in chicken wire (I know – not very attractive!). I don't doubt for a minute that it will do much good, but at least I feel better!
Wish I knew some methods to encourage them to live elsewhere…
Nancy Shelly says
I was once so infuriated with a groundhog which penetrated my veggie garden by CLIMBING A WIRE FENCE that I grabbed my husband's fishing net and went after him. Don't know what I would have done if I'd succeeded – flung him into the next county – but we were eye to eye when he pulled back his lips and made a nasty noise. Then he turned and CLIMBED THE DAMN FENCE AGAIN! New, taller fence. Goodbye groundhog.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
trillium – welcome. Do you mean your neighbors are intentionally feeding a woodchuck? I'd talk to the neighbors and ask them to stop. That is, if they are the kind of neighbors who will listen to reason.
Otherwise, as Nancy Shelly says in the comment below yours, go for a taller fence. Three feet is too low. I'd install a four or five foot stockade-type “privacy” fence rather than a wire-mesh or chain-link one. The panels themselves are usually not expensive, and few creatures (if any) will be able to scale such a fence.
Nancy Shelly – nice to “meet” you. I can imagine your fury at that intrepid groundhog. Good for you by solving the issue with a taller fence!
weathervane says
Is there a verment spray or traps that work the best?
Robin says
Any suggestions on how to deal with chipmunks that seem to love cherry tomatoes? I’ve got raised beds but last year they seemed to enjoy eating these when I was out in the garden.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
weathervane – How did I miss your comment from last July? Please forgive me! There are numerous sprays on the market, most of them infused with the perfume of rotten eggs. You have to apply the spray frequently, as it loses its potency after a few days, and immediately after a rain. Better to use the herb which I am going to recommend to Robin…
Robin – Try planting lavender around your tomato patch. Most critters despise the scent, and in my experience will not cross it in order to reach other plants.
Susan Feiger says
If you don’t have a freezer, put those candlesticks in a warm oven. Just wipe the wax off and you will have a beautiful sheen to boot !
mamaprepper says
I have deer and moles around my new place. I’ve never had experience with either. I’m trying to put in raised garden beds but I’m a little worried. I’ve had people tell me that even a 6 foot fence won’t work to deter deer who can jump that high if they really want something. And another friend tell me how a mole just pulled her giant artichoke plant right under the ground! I thought that was only in cartoons. How do I deter that?!
Robin Chapman Tucker says
I have black widow spiders, all in between the slate rocks that edge my perennial beds..many, many black widows. I have to always be mindful when I am yanking out grass and such from between those rocks..lest I reach in and grab one of those spiders. Yesterday, my son and I donned gloves, went through the front yard rocks pouring Borax and talcum powder on the ants that had colonies under the rocks, and killed numerous black widows..hopefully the borax will help reduce them as well. Normally, they stay underneath the rocks and mind their own business, but with small dogs and children..I still have my concerns! With so many ants, those spiders were big, fat girls who probably never had to move so much as a leg to be fed..they just opened their mouths and ants just fell in! I believe they came IN on the slate rock when I ordered them 5 years ago, as I had never had a problem with them in my life..until the rock!
Linda says
Your link “How I Keep Slugs & Snails Away” is no longer working. “Not Found, Error 404The page you are looking for no longer exists.” I would so like to know how to deal with these as we have thousands, nay, millions of them.
Our other big pest problem is deer. Bars of strong scented soap don’t really deter them. Neither does “Monster fur.” We have an acre, hillside, of garden beds, grapes and fruit trees.
DaisymaePlaydosniffer says
Squirrels!! Squirrels! Squirrels!!! How do I get rid of them???? I think they r in my attic now!! I’ve heard them on the roof and seen the shadows “reflected” on my shed!! I’ve seen them run down the length of the wooden fence, jump into the neighbors globe willow. I beleive they are jumping from ther onto my roof. Or simply jumping from the top of the fence onto my roof!! Will the eggwhite/h2o mix and lavender really deter?? HELP!!!
Linda says
squirrels: not politically correct, but should be: shoot them. They all carry rabies. A pellet gun or 22 CB works great & won’t bother the neighbors.
jean says
How do you get rid of voles, they are really making a mess of my yard, Lots of runs, and digging going on, I know it’s a vole, because I’ve seen them. I got some pellets from the farm supply store and put down the holes but don’t know if it killed any or not, but the yard looks like some one hit and missed at disking it up. Help!
thanks
jean
Jo Pernice says
Hi Kevin…. Is there anyway to get rid of earwigs? Every summer they traumatize me! Love your newsletter!
Beth says
how do i get rid of moles? tried the pellets and spikes to no avail.
Antonio says
How do you keep cats from using your vegetable garden as their kitty litter?
I have chosen not to own pets and one of the reasons is that I don’t have the stomach to clean up after animals. Well my neighbors feel the need to own 3 cats and these animals use my vegetable garden (for which I put a lot of work into) as their kitty litter. I don’t want conflict with my neighbors and I don’t want to do anything to hurt these animals. How do I stop them or discourage them from doing this?
Kay says
Hi Kevin,
I am at war with rabbits! Most of my vegetables are behind rabbit fencing, which has done a pretty good job of deterring them, but they’ve chomped my watermelon and pumpkin plants, which had self seeded in my perennial beds. In those beds I’ve planted marigolds, and I’m also spraying concentrated garlic juice on the hostas, daisies, & mums, all of which they devour. Next year I’m considering planting garlic all along the perimeter of my fence, and not harvesting it, in an attempt to keep them out of the yard. What do you think?
btw Kevin I just harvested my first crop of garlic. The plants were all dying and falling over, so I thought they were ready, but many of the bulbs weren’t as big as I expected. Is this normal for home growing? Thanks for all of your wonderful, inspiring advice!
Gail says
Gophers..we have them…we don’t want them….my dear husband is ready to go all caddyshack on them…I’m ready to rip out the lawn and pour concrete….we have a bit of an oasis And orchard, they don’t seem to be eating the plants…just digging and tunnels….they gotta go…
Thanks for the vinegar for the weeds tip…gonna tell him about that for the driveway crack