GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post

09-07-2004, 05:02 PM

In article ,
says...
Kim E. wrote:
...We have a vegetable garden-ruining groundhog too!!! How high was the
fence you built that they climbed? We were planning to do a 4 ft fence
(we have deer to contend with also). Also, should we bury the fence a
bit - have you ever had the groundhogs tunnel under a fence?...

Use the fence. Don't bother burying it. Just make it difficult for the
woodchuck to get into and out of the garden. (You can't make it
impossible.) If you them plant something outside the fence that
woodchucks like, they will stay outside rather than risk being caught
inside the fence in an emergency. Clover works well, but takes some time
to get started. You could even start a sacrificial garden outside
somewhere with broccoli or cabbage or sunflowers. Use cheap seed.

THere is *plenty* of clover in our yard to keep 10 gophers well-fed,
believe me! And a lot of the clover is near the garden. I was thinking
of doing the opposite, planting something distasteful like marigolds
around the outside of the garden to keep the groundhog away.

Be alert for tunnels appearing in the garden.

This we will do. About how big is a groundhog hole anyway, because we
have tons of holes in our yards, but they all seem too small for our
giant groundhog (i assumed they were snake or chipmunk holes).

-kim