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#1
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Woodchuck defenses
I'm planning on putting in tomatoes this year, however I have a woodchuck
living in my yard and rumor has it that woodchucks love tomatoes. Turing (my woodchuck) is a cute little guy so I'm not going to trap or kill him. Trapping would be hopeless anyway, I gave up gardening 20 years ago because after trapping and moving 10 raccoons a year for 4 years I failed to make a dent in their population (I moved them seven miles away to the other side of the Merrimac river so I don't think it was the same ones coming back). I'm thinking that a fence around the garden is the only means of keeping the woodchucks and raccoons out. My question is how tall does it have to be and how deep to I have to bury it in the ground? |
#2
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Woodchuck defenses
General Schvantzkoph wrote:
I'm planning on putting in tomatoes this year, however I have a woodchuck living in my yard and rumor has it that woodchucks love tomatoes. Turing (my woodchuck) is a cute little guy so I'm not going to trap or kill him. Trapping would be hopeless anyway, I gave up gardening 20 years ago because after trapping and moving 10 raccoons a year for 4 years I failed to make a dent in their population (I moved them seven miles away to the other side of the Merrimac river so I don't think it was the same ones coming back). I'm thinking that a fence around the garden is the only means of keeping the woodchucks and raccoons out. My question is how tall does it have to be and how deep to I have to bury it in the ground? We've been growing tomatoes here in our garden for the past 27 years. We have woodchucks aplenty but never have we had a problem with them bothering the tomatoes. That may be because they have access to 20+ acres of an alfalfa/clover mix. As for raccoons, they've never bothered the tomatoes either. Now, sweet corn, that's another thing. They know exactly when it is going to be ready to pick and they destroy the whole patch the night before. In past years, they also took more than their share of our chickens. The pests we have the most problems with are the wild cottontails. They will nip off almost any tender young plants, lettuce, beans, peas, cabbage, etc. Ross Southern Ontario, Canada. New AgCanada Zone 5b 43º17'28.63" North 80º13'28.55" West To email, remove the obvious from my address. |
#3
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Woodchuck defenses
On Mon, 01 May 2006 11:04:22 -0400, General Schvantzkoph
wrote: I'm thinking that a fence around the garden is the only means of keeping the woodchucks and raccoons out. My question is how tall does it have to be and how deep to I have to bury it in the ground? -------- I have a 3 foot fence with small spacing at the bottom and larger spacing near the top. I think it's called rabbit fence because the smaller spacing at the bottom is supposed to keep out the rabbits. Anyway, I have seen the groundhogs climb the fence about 2 foot up and squeeze through the larger spacing holes near the top of the fence. If I had to re-do my fence, I'd get a 5 foot tall fence with very small spacing and put it 1 foot under the ground. Then I'd back fill the dirt with a combo of stones & broken glass to discourage any digging. I'm not sure if this would work but this is what I would try. PS: If you do any live animal trapping, try spray painting their fur to mark them before you transport them anywhere. 7 miles might not be far enough. I have heard stories where animals like squirels were taken miles away and the just about beat the transport vehicle home. ---pete--- |
#4
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Woodchuck defenses
On Mon, 15 May 2006 13:49:16 +0000, ---Pete--- wrote:
On Mon, 01 May 2006 11:04:22 -0400, General Schvantzkoph wrote: I'm thinking that a fence around the garden is the only means of keeping the woodchucks and raccoons out. My question is how tall does it have to be and how deep to I have to bury it in the ground? -------- I have a 3 foot fence with small spacing at the bottom and larger spacing near the top. I think it's called rabbit fence because the smaller spacing at the bottom is supposed to keep out the rabbits. Anyway, I have seen the groundhogs climb the fence about 2 foot up and squeeze through the larger spacing holes near the top of the fence. If I had to re-do my fence, I'd get a 5 foot tall fence with very small spacing and put it 1 foot under the ground. Then I'd back fill the dirt with a combo of stones & broken glass to discourage any digging. I'm not sure if this would work but this is what I would try. PS: If you do any live animal trapping, try spray painting their fur to mark them before you transport them anywhere. 7 miles might not be far enough. I have heard stories where animals like squirels were taken miles away and the just about beat the transport vehicle home. ---pete--- When I did raccoon trapping in the past I moved them across the Merrimac river which is a pretty substantial river so I doubt it was the same ones finding their way back. However since then there has been a serious rabies epidemic in the raccoon population so I wouldn't dare try that today. I'm going to try a fence and see if that does it. However before I do anything the rain has to stop, my side yard is a lake at the moment (btw a cubit is about 20 inches, is that right?). |
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