I grow pumpkins every year, lately kabocha (Japanese pumpkins), also
known as tetsukabuta. They over-winter well, are delicious, similar to
acorn squash, I think.

I had a bumper crop this year due to ample composting at plant time. The
vines extend well beyond the ~10 x 6 foot patch of earth and onto a
large concrete patio and up trellises I built with bamboo.

I've never had a problem with animals messing with my pumpkins but
suddenly have a big problem. My crop this year was about 70, and a few
days ago there were about 20 (mostly of the largest, up to 3+ lb.) still
on the dieing vines (I've generally tried to leave them on the vines
until the vines are clearly unable to supply further nutrients/fluids to
the pumpkins). Around a 6 weeks ago I noticed that one of the larger
pumpkins on the concrete had a vertical split. I decided I'd cook it
sooner than later, because the split suggested it would be among the
first to rot otherwise. However, an animal got to it first. A big hole
was carved out of it one day, maybe 1/3 of it was eaten. I speculated
that it was a possum, which are not commonly seen here, but I have seen
them. There are raccoons around here, too, but no more common than
possums. Several days later I spotted a fairly large possum in the yard
during the day, and it darted off. Not having seen a possum in my yard
for some years, I figured that this confirmed my suspicion that a possum
(this possum) had fed on my pumpkin.

Nothing further happened and I concluded that whatever attacked that
cracked pumpkin wasn't inclined to feed on undamaged pumpkins and I
wasn't too concerned. Two days ago, two smaller pumpkins on the ground
in the planting patch were attacked and half eaten. I left the house for
a few hours during the day and returning in late afternoon I was
dismayed to find that two of the largest pumpkins had been attacked and
almost half eaten! Two other smaller pumpkins were also half eaten. A
couple of other pumpkins had very minor damage indicating that some
creature had tried to penetrate the exterior. I quickly clipped off
every remaining pumpkin that was not suspended in the air, leaving only
4. I assumed that it was a possum or maybe a possum family doing this.

However, yesterday I went outside and found 3 squirrels feeding on the
remains of what I had left there of the attacked pumpkins. This made me
think: Was it squirrels or were they just scavenging on what was left by
another animal? One of the squirrels repeatedly looked longingly at one
of the suspended pumpkins but didn't try to climb the trellis system,
which is pretty flimsy, evidently too flimsy for it to attempt to climb.
This makes me further suspect that the squirrels may have been the
original attackers. There are a LOT of squirrels around here (Berkeley,
CA). I wonder if squirrels could have eaten THAT much of the pumpkins,
though. Two pounds or more of pumpkin were evidently consumed.

My concern is for next year. I don't know if these animals are smart
enough to "remember" and come back for next year's harvest. Suggestions?
TIA!!

Dan

Possums are nocturnal, and squirrels are very diligent eaters. My money's on
the squirrels - or it could be both.

--

Visit www.insectgraphics.com for all your insect gift needs
"Dan Musicant" wrote in message
...
I grow pumpkins every year, lately kabocha (Japanese pumpkins), also
known as tetsukabuta. They over-winter well, are delicious, similar to
acorn squash, I think.

I had a bumper crop this year due to ample composting at plant time. The
vines extend well beyond the ~10 x 6 foot patch of earth and onto a
large concrete patio and up trellises I built with bamboo.

I've never had a problem with animals messing with my pumpkins but
suddenly have a big problem. My crop this year was about 70, and a few
days ago there were about 20 (mostly of the largest, up to 3+ lb.) still
on the dieing vines (I've generally tried to leave them on the vines
until the vines are clearly unable to supply further nutrients/fluids to
the pumpkins). Around a 6 weeks ago I noticed that one of the larger
pumpkins on the concrete had a vertical split. I decided I'd cook it
sooner than later, because the split suggested it would be among the
first to rot otherwise. However, an animal got to it first. A big hole
was carved out of it one day, maybe 1/3 of it was eaten. I speculated
that it was a possum, which are not commonly seen here, but I have seen
them. There are raccoons around here, too, but no more common than
possums. Several days later I spotted a fairly large possum in the yard
during the day, and it darted off. Not having seen a possum in my yard
for some years, I figured that this confirmed my suspicion that a possum
(this possum) had fed on my pumpkin.

Nothing further happened and I concluded that whatever attacked that
cracked pumpkin wasn't inclined to feed on undamaged pumpkins and I
wasn't too concerned. Two days ago, two smaller pumpkins on the ground
in the planting patch were attacked and half eaten. I left the house for
a few hours during the day and returning in late afternoon I was
dismayed to find that two of the largest pumpkins had been attacked and
almost half eaten! Two other smaller pumpkins were also half eaten. A
couple of other pumpkins had very minor damage indicating that some
creature had tried to penetrate the exterior. I quickly clipped off
every remaining pumpkin that was not suspended in the air, leaving only
4. I assumed that it was a possum or maybe a possum family doing this.

However, yesterday I went outside and found 3 squirrels feeding on the
remains of what I had left there of the attacked pumpkins. This made me
think: Was it squirrels or were they just scavenging on what was left by
another animal? One of the squirrels repeatedly looked longingly at one
of the suspended pumpkins but didn't try to climb the trellis system,
which is pretty flimsy, evidently too flimsy for it to attempt to climb.
This makes me further suspect that the squirrels may have been the
original attackers. There are a LOT of squirrels around here (Berkeley,
CA). I wonder if squirrels could have eaten THAT much of the pumpkins,
though. Two pounds or more of pumpkin were evidently consumed.

My concern is for next year. I don't know if these animals are smart
enough to "remember" and come back for next year's harvest. Suggestions?
TIA!!

Dan

Dan Musicant wrote:
I grow pumpkins every year, lately kabocha (Japanese pumpkins), also
known as tetsukabuta. They over-winter well, are delicious, similar to
acorn squash, I think.

I had a bumper crop this year due to ample composting at plant time.
The vines extend well beyond the ~10 x 6 foot patch of earth and onto
a large concrete patio and up trellises I built with bamboo.

I've never had a problem with animals messing with my pumpkins but
suddenly have a big problem. My crop this year was about 70, and a few
days ago there were about 20 (mostly of the largest, up to 3+ lb.)
still on the dieing vines (I've generally tried to leave them on the
vines until the vines are clearly unable to supply further
nutrients/fluids to the pumpkins). Around a 6 weeks ago I noticed
that one of the larger pumpkins on the concrete had a vertical split.
I decided I'd cook it sooner than later, because the split suggested
it would be among the first to rot otherwise. However, an animal got
to it first. A big hole was carved out of it one day, maybe 1/3 of it
was eaten. I speculated that it was a possum, which are not commonly
seen here, but I have seen them. There are raccoons around here, too,
but no more common than possums. Several days later I spotted a
fairly large possum in the yard during the day, and it darted off.
Not having seen a possum in my yard for some years, I figured that
this confirmed my suspicion that a possum (this possum) had fed on my
pumpkin.

Nothing further happened and I concluded that whatever attacked that
cracked pumpkin wasn't inclined to feed on undamaged pumpkins and I
wasn't too concerned. Two days ago, two smaller pumpkins on the ground
in the planting patch were attacked and half eaten. I left the house
for a few hours during the day and returning in late afternoon I was
dismayed to find that two of the largest pumpkins had been attacked
and almost half eaten! Two other smaller pumpkins were also half
eaten. A couple of other pumpkins had very minor damage indicating
that some creature had tried to penetrate the exterior. I quickly
clipped off every remaining pumpkin that was not suspended in the
air, leaving only
4. I assumed that it was a possum or maybe a possum family doing this.

However, yesterday I went outside and found 3 squirrels feeding on the
remains of what I had left there of the attacked pumpkins. This made
me think: Was it squirrels or were they just scavenging on what was
left by another animal? One of the squirrels repeatedly looked
longingly at one of the suspended pumpkins but didn't try to climb
the trellis system, which is pretty flimsy, evidently too flimsy for
it to attempt to climb. This makes me further suspect that the
squirrels may have been the original attackers. There are a LOT of
squirrels around here (Berkeley, CA). I wonder if squirrels could
have eaten THAT much of the pumpkins, though. Two pounds or more of
pumpkin were evidently consumed.

My concern is for next year. I don't know if these animals are smart
enough to "remember" and come back for next year's harvest.
Suggestions? TIA!!


Opossums are the gypsies of the animal world. Irrespective of the food
supply, they'll hang around for up to a week, then the wanderlust overcomes
them. They move on. They will, however, return in about three months - your
location is on their "Opossum Circuit."

wrote:

I grow pumpkins every year, lately kabocha (Japanese pumpkins), also
known as tetsukabuta. They over-winter well, are delicious, similar to
acorn squash, I think.

I had a bumper crop this year due to ample composting at plant time. The
vines extend well beyond the ~10 x 6 foot patch of earth and onto a
large concrete patio and up trellises I built with bamboo.

I've never had a problem with animals messing with my pumpkins but
suddenly have a big problem. My crop this year was about 70, and a few
days ago there were about 20 (mostly of the largest, up to 3+ lb.) still
on the dieing vines (I've generally tried to leave them on the vines
until the vines are clearly unable to supply further nutrients/fluids to
the pumpkins). Around a 6 weeks ago I noticed that one of the larger
pumpkins on the concrete had a vertical split. I decided I'd cook it
sooner than later, because the split suggested it would be among the
first to rot otherwise. However, an animal got to it first. A big hole
was carved out of it one day, maybe 1/3 of it was eaten. I speculated
that it was a possum, which are not commonly seen here, but I have seen
them. There are raccoons around here, too, but no more common than
possums. Several days later I spotted a fairly large possum in the yard
during the day, and it darted off. Not having seen a possum in my yard
for some years, I figured that this confirmed my suspicion that a possum
(this possum) had fed on my pumpkin.

Nothing further happened and I concluded that whatever attacked that
cracked pumpkin wasn't inclined to feed on undamaged pumpkins and I
wasn't too concerned. Two days ago, two smaller pumpkins on the ground
in the planting patch were attacked and half eaten. I left the house for
a few hours during the day and returning in late afternoon I was
dismayed to find that two of the largest pumpkins had been attacked and
almost half eaten! Two other smaller pumpkins were also half eaten. A
couple of other pumpkins had very minor damage indicating that some
creature had tried to penetrate the exterior. I quickly clipped off
every remaining pumpkin that was not suspended in the air, leaving only
4. I assumed that it was a possum or maybe a possum family doing this.

However, yesterday I went outside and found 3 squirrels feeding on the
remains of what I had left there of the attacked pumpkins. This made me
think: Was it squirrels or were they just scavenging on what was left by
another animal? One of the squirrels repeatedly looked longingly at one
of the suspended pumpkins but didn't try to climb the trellis system,
which is pretty flimsy, evidently too flimsy for it to attempt to climb.
This makes me further suspect that the squirrels may have been the
original attackers. There are a LOT of squirrels around here (Berkeley,
CA). I wonder if squirrels could have eaten THAT much of the pumpkins,
though. Two pounds or more of pumpkin were evidently consumed.

My concern is for next year. I don't know if these animals are smart
enough to "remember" and come back for next year's harvest. Suggestions?
TIA!!

Dan
Possum stew.

In article ,
says...

Possums are nocturnal, and squirrels are very diligent eaters. My money's on
the squirrels - or it could be both.

Piggybacking because the earlier postings are lost to me.

I've seen squirrels so deeply inside pumpkins that you can just see the
tip of a tail. The tree rats are after the seeds.


My concern is for next year. I don't know if these animals are smart
enough to "remember" and come back for next year's harvest. Suggestions?
TIA!!

I've diligently practiced my slingshot technique on squirrels. They get
to the point where they stay away and don't set foot on the property.
--They have to be reeducated each year.

My guess is that you need to trap and remove, shoot, poison, or
otherwise deter the possum(s).

With most critters, "If you do nothing the problem will recur."

The reason isn't necessarily that they remember what they ate so much as
that they recognize food when they see it and pumpkins are food.

wrote:
I grow pumpkins every year, lately kabocha (Japanese pumpkins), also
known as tetsukabuta. They over-winter well, are delicious, similar to
acorn squash, I think.

I had a bumper crop this year due to ample composting at plant time. The
vines extend well beyond the ~10 x 6 foot patch of earth and onto a
large concrete patio and up trellises I built with bamboo.

I've never had a problem with animals messing with my pumpkins but
suddenly have a big problem. My crop this year was about 70, and a few
days ago there were about 20 (mostly of the largest, up to 3+ lb.) still
on the dieing vines (I've generally tried to leave them on the vines
until the vines are clearly unable to supply further nutrients/fluids to
the pumpkins). Around a 6 weeks ago I noticed that one of the larger
pumpkins on the concrete had a vertical split. I decided I'd cook it
sooner than later, because the split suggested it would be among the
first to rot otherwise. However, an animal got to it first. A big hole
was carved out of it one day, maybe 1/3 of it was eaten. I speculated
that it was a possum, which are not commonly seen here, but I have seen
them. There are raccoons around here, too, but no more common than
possums. Several days later I spotted a fairly large possum in the yard
during the day, and it darted off. Not having seen a possum in my yard
for some years, I figured that this confirmed my suspicion that a possum
(this possum) had fed on my pumpkin.

Nothing further happened and I concluded that whatever attacked that
cracked pumpkin wasn't inclined to feed on undamaged pumpkins and I
wasn't too concerned. Two days ago, two smaller pumpkins on the ground
in the planting patch were attacked and half eaten. I left the house for
a few hours during the day and returning in late afternoon I was
dismayed to find that two of the largest pumpkins had been attacked and
almost half eaten! Two other smaller pumpkins were also half eaten. A
couple of other pumpkins had very minor damage indicating that some
creature had tried to penetrate the exterior. I quickly clipped off
every remaining pumpkin that was not suspended in the air, leaving only
4. I assumed that it was a possum or maybe a possum family doing this.

However, yesterday I went outside and found 3 squirrels feeding on the
remains of what I had left there of the attacked pumpkins. This made me
think: Was it squirrels or were they just scavenging on what was left by
another animal? One of the squirrels repeatedly looked longingly at one
of the suspended pumpkins but didn't try to climb the trellis system,
which is pretty flimsy, evidently too flimsy for it to attempt to climb.
This makes me further suspect that the squirrels may have been the
original attackers. There are a LOT of squirrels around here (Berkeley,
CA). I wonder if squirrels could have eaten THAT much of the pumpkins,
though. Two pounds or more of pumpkin were evidently consumed.

My concern is for next year. I don't know if these animals are smart
enough to "remember" and come back for next year's harvest. Suggestions?
TIA!!

Dan
I never would have thought possum would be in California, but, I did
know Berkley was full of squirrels.

Texas Bob

On Mon, 20 Oct 2008 16:30:07 -0500, phorbin wrote:

:In article ,
says...
:
: Possums are nocturnal, and squirrels are very diligent eaters. My money's on
: the squirrels - or it could be both.
:
:Piggybacking because the earlier postings are lost to me.
:
:I've seen squirrels so deeply inside pumpkins that you can just see the
:tip of a tail. The tree rats are after the seeds.
:
:
: My concern is for next year. I don't know if these animals are smart
: enough to "remember" and come back for next year's harvest. Suggestions?
: TIA!!
:
:I've diligently practiced my slingshot technique on squirrels. They get
:to the point where they stay away and don't set foot on the property.
:--They have to be reeducated each year.
:
:My guess is that you need to trap and remove, shoot, poison, or
therwise deter the possum(s).
:
:With most critters, "If you do nothing the problem will recur."
:
:The reason isn't necessarily that they remember what they ate so much as
:that they recognize food when they see it and pumpkins are food.

Thanks, good info. What I don't understand is that I've been growing
pumpkins and/or kabochas (I was wrong when I said tetsukabuta, they are
actually kabochas this year) for I'm guessing 7-8 years straight and I
don't recall EVER losing a single squash to critters. Now, I'm once
burned twice shy and will be nervous and watching.

I really like the slingshot idea. I tossed a rock at one and it wound up
hitting the hood of my station wagon! Ouch!

Shooting? I have no kind of gun right now. I guess a pellet gun might be
in order, at least when it's growing season next year, and/or the
slingshot. This is war!

Dan

On 20 Oct 2008 16:39:29 GMT, StefpheanKing
wrote:

:Story too long, getting sleepyzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Oh, I'm sorry. I knew it was long, but please understand, I wrote it,
edited it, reedited it, spell checked it and reedited it again. I tried
hard to make it a cogent story, to tell the whole story without being
long winded.

Dan

On Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:39:07 -0500, Texas Bob
wrote:

:I never would have thought possum would be in California, but, I did
:know Berkley was full of squirrels.
:
:Texas Bob

One night about 2:00 AM in this same house around 12-15 years ago I came
face to face with a possum in the kitchen! I looked at it, and it looked
at me. We froze. I instinctively walked away, allowing the animal to
react as I knew it would and retreat from the house, which it did. I
took measures to seal off the entrance.

I've only seen possums a few times here. I did see several racoons early
one morning at dawn almost a year ago in the middle of the street two
blocks from my house.

Squirrels are extremely common here. One day this summer when I was in
front of my house I saw maybe 1/2 a dozen or more in just a few minutes.
They were having a convention.

Dan

On Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:05:13 -0700, Dan Musicant )
wrote:

:Shooting? I have no kind of gun right now. I guess a pellet gun might be
:in order, at least when it's growing season next year, and/or the
:slingshot. This is war!
:
an

Also, I have to confess I have been thinking about poison, at least if
it's a possum that's at the root of this. The other options seem very
iffy. I'm unlikely to encounter the possum in the act. I have a bottle
of ethylene glycol I've had for believe it or not since about 1963! A
pint bottle. I could maybe figure out a way to poison the critter with
it. Here's what I figu Take a medium size squash, rupture the skin so
that the flesh is smelled by whatever animal is doing this, and inject
ethylene glycol into the interior. The animal would likely ingest it (I
hear they like the sweet taste), and that would be the end of it. If
this year is any indication, a squash whose rind is broken is the most
likely to fall to an attack.

Dan

wrote:

On Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:39:07 -0500, Texas Bob
wrote:

:I never would have thought possum would be in California, but, I did
:know Berkley was full of squirrels.
:
:Texas Bob

One night about 2:00 AM in this same house around 12-15 years ago I came
face to face with a possum in the kitchen! I looked at it, and it looked
at me. We froze. I instinctively walked away, allowing the animal to
react as I knew it would and retreat from the house, which it did. I
took measures to seal off the entrance.

I've only seen possums a few times here. I did see several racoons early
one morning at dawn almost a year ago in the middle of the street two
blocks from my house.

Squirrels are extremely common here. One day this summer when I was in
front of my house I saw maybe 1/2 a dozen or more in just a few minutes.
They were having a convention.

Dan


What about groundhogs? They are more local. Big teeth?

said:

However, yesterday I went outside and found 3 squirrels feeding on the
remains of what I had left there of the attacked pumpkins. This made me
think: Was it squirrels or were they just scavenging on what was left by
another animal? One of the squirrels repeatedly looked longingly at one
of the suspended pumpkins but didn't try to climb the trellis system,
which is pretty flimsy, evidently too flimsy for it to attempt to climb.
This makes me further suspect that the squirrels may have been the
original attackers. There are a LOT of squirrels around here (Berkeley,
CA). I wonder if squirrels could have eaten THAT much of the
pumpkins,
though. Two pounds or more of pumpkin were evidently consumed.

My concern is for next year. I don't know if these animals are smart
enough to "remember" and come back for next year's harvest.

Pumpkin eaters I have known:

Squirrels (especially to go after the seeds in the fall): small gnaw marks

Groundhogs (will eat them at any stage): large gnaw marks

Mice (rarely, and without much damage): tiny, tiny gnaw marks

Deer will go after pumpkins, but are likely to break them apart with
their hooves as they are mainly after the seeds and soft pulp.

I'd probably finger the squirrels for this one, especially considering
the day-time damage.

You may be at the peak of a population cycle. Live trapping squirrels
isn't too hard.
--
Pat in Plymouth MI ('someplace.net' is comcast)

After enlightenment, the laundry.

In article , Dan Musicant
) says...
On Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:05:13 -0700, Dan Musicant )
wrote:

:Shooting? I have no kind of gun right now. I guess a pellet gun might be
:in order, at least when it's growing season next year, and/or the
:slingshot. This is war!
:
an

Also, I have to confess I have been thinking about poison, at least if
it's a possum that's at the root of this. The other options seem very
iffy. I'm unlikely to encounter the possum in the act. I have a bottle
of ethylene glycol I've had for believe it or not since about 1963! A
pint bottle. I could maybe figure out a way to poison the critter with
it. Here's what I figu Take a medium size squash, rupture the skin so
that the flesh is smelled by whatever animal is doing this, and inject
ethylene glycol into the interior. The animal would likely ingest it (I
hear they like the sweet taste), and that would be the end of it. If
this year is any indication, a squash whose rind is broken is the most
likely to fall to an attack.

Dan


You have to watch out for collateral damage with ethylene glycol. Other
animals, such as dogs go for the taste... If the animals
crawl away, die and get consumed, there's no telling what the poison
will do to still other creatures. It's the same with any poison.

I don't know what kind of situation you're in, but trap and remove is my
favoured method with critters larger than a squirrel... but then I have
a couple of havahart traps and no compunction about surreptitiously
removing an animal from its territory and donating it to the parks
system some distance away ...across the river ...in the relative wild at
the opposite end of an off-leash park.

On the few occasions when I couldn't remove them, I killed them in the
traps. Those few that wouldn't go in the traps, I've stalked, speared
and bludgeoned.

If I were you, I'd steal a march on next season and start now if at all
possible by making a neighbourhood project of removing and/or critter-
proofing every possible winter shelter and food source.

If you can force them to range elsewhere, you solve your problem before
pumpkin season. Diligence, consistency and developing an instinct for
where they shelter usually turns the trick.

Gotta run.

Good luck.

On Oct 20, 7:24*pm, Dan Musicant ) wrote:
On Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:05:13 -0700, Dan Musicant )
wrote:

:Shooting? I have no kind of gun right now. I guess a pellet gun might be
:in order, at least when it's growing season next year, and/or the
:slingshot. This is war!
:
an

Also, I have to confess I have been thinking about poison, at least if
it's a possum that's at the root of this. The other options seem very
iffy. I'm unlikely to encounter the possum in the act. I have a bottle
of ethylene glycol I've had for believe it or not since about 1963! A
pint bottle. I could maybe figure out a way to poison the critter with
it. Here's what I figu Take a medium size squash, rupture the skin so
that the flesh is smelled by whatever animal is doing this, and inject
ethylene glycol into the interior. The animal would likely ingest it (I
hear they like the sweet taste), and that would be the end of it. If
this year is any indication, a squash whose rind is broken is the most
likely to fall to an attack.

Dan

Before trying something like this, why not go for a less chemical-
filled solution:
- borrow a little yappy dog to run around your yard for a few days.
- put mousetraps around the pumpkins. They won't be big enough to trap
a squirrel or opposum, but they will startle them.
- put motion detection lights out
- put up a scarecrow with tinsel streamers
- borrow a great big dog to pee around your field
- program a light to shine into the field several times in the middle
of the night.

Susan B.

Meat cleaver is your friend.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"Dan Musicant" wrote in message
...

One night about 2:00 AM in this same house around 12-15 years ago I came
face to face with a possum in the kitchen! I looked at it, and it looked