I had a horrible problem with groundhogs. I tried all of the tricks I could find and no luck. They kept digging under my fence
and into the garden. Out of frustration, I cut several hundred stakes about a foot long and drove them into the ground at the fence
line leaving a 1" gap between. They would dig a while then move on, dig a while... After a few days, they just gave up. That was
over a year ago.

Last weekend I started to notice that something was eating my lettuce. The next day it was me beans. I couldn't figure out how
they were getting in. No holes in the fence and no tunnels under the fence. The third day I noticed that the tops of my tomatoes
were eaten, and they are 4' high. I then noticed a pile of deer droppings. Great, after 2+ years with a 4' high fence, the deer
decide to jump over it. So, two evenings ago, I put up a 7-1/2 foot high deer fence around my 30 x 45 garden.

Sometimes I wonder why I even try to grow anything! Between the cost of materials and time, it's probably cheaper to just but the
veggies. However, at harvest time (assuming I have anything left by then), I will know it was worth it.

--
Al Reid

"It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know
for sure that just ain't so." --- Mark Twain

wrote in message ...
i've tried the chewing gum route...no success. tried moth balls. (yawn)

a method they use in the back beyond hills of central oregon is..you go to a
thrift store and buy the old type of radio (with transistors) and bring it
home. fill the radio with the proper batteries and then tune it to a
station that isn't there...in other words, set the dial to "white sound."
then tie a rope or string or even dental floss to the radio and lower it
down into the hole. the "white noise" is supposed to not only drive 'em
crazy but also drive them far away enough from your property that even your
neighbour's gophers, moles, voles, ANY burrowing critter away!!!

i gotta tell you...it sure worked in oregon...doesn't seem to work here in
new hamster, though (sniff); perhaps the east coast critters are enured to
the sound??

From: "jim book"
Newsgroups: rec.gardens.edible
Date: Tue, 6 Jul 2004 17:57:25 -0400
Subject: Gophers!

a few years ago the local radio "friendly trapper" advised to use juicy
fruit gum. a small (i use about 1/3 stick) piece in their tunnels will rid
them. not very humane, they can't pass it through their system and they
can't spit it up. i have used it and it does work. hth jim book
"Jackee" not available wrote in message
...
I walked out to my pretty garden this morning to discover either a gopher
or
a mole had dug a huge hole in the back of my garden, covering some of my
squash plants with a heaping pile of dirt!
Any tips to rid of this creature?