Re: Groundhogs

**A*@aol.com**

About those groundhogs:  Some years ago, when I had a vegetable  garden, I 
had very good luck with black silo plastic.  I covered the entire  garden 
with a 20' x 40' piece and dug it in around the edges.  Planted my  veggies 
through holes in the plastic (tomatoes, peppers, etc.) or slits in the  
plastic (beans).  Never lost anything to animals.  I actually sat near  my garden 
one evening and watched a groundhog walk around the garden, putting a  paw 
on the plastic and then jumping back away from it in fear.  That  critter 
completely circled the garden, trying to find a way to the veggies  without 
touching that plastic and never did figure out it wasn't  dangerous. 

Even my sheltie wouldn't walk on it.  When I walked into the garden,  she'd 
sit at the edge and cry.  

It worked for me -- maybe it will work for you too.

Lina Burton

In a message dated 6/18/2012 6:29:29 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
dcamp911@gmail.com writes:

-----Original Message----- 
From: CobraHead   
Subject: Re: [GWL] Groundhogs 

>You would not like groundhogs in  your garden.  However, if you send me 
five
>rats, I'll send you  five groundhogs.  

Hell, Noel, I'll take the five rats and send  just one groundhog. You 
showed the good grace not to promote CobraHead in this  post, but I will say that 
it is very effective for throwing at  woodchucks.

Though you showed good manners in not promoting your  product, I am not 
nearly so well behaved. Since it is right on point, I submit  below a short bit 
from the section of my book that deals with woodchucks and  other critters 
in the garden:

I have a woodchuck. My  neighbor has named him. Harry. Or maybe it's Hairy.

Now,  I like animals. You can't walk through our house without tripping 
over cats or  rabbits or something my wife insists is a dog, but I think is 
really some kind  of marmot. I do not, however, like woodchucks in my garden.

Here's what I did this spring. I set out the kohlrabi and cauliflower  and 
broccoli and put bottomless plastic jugs over all the transplants. I put  
the Chinese cabbage and lettuce under plastic tunnels. I spread Reemay â  
floating row         cover â over my onion seedlings  and pegged it down 
securely.

Here's what Harry did. He  knocked the jugs off and ate all the kohlrabi 
and cauliflower and broccoli. He  crawled under the plastic tunnels and ate 
the lettuce and Chinese cabbage.  Fortunately he doesn't like onions. But he 
does     like  Reemay. He pulled all the pegs and dragged an entire 4 X 8 
foot sheet into his  burrow. It must be comfy.

Duane Campbell
Syndicated garden  columnist
Author: Best of Green Space; 30 Years of Composted Columns  

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