The Snarky Gardener’s love/hate relationship with groundhogs
Last year, the Snarky Gardener was telling his co-workers about how groundhogs kept getting into his garden, even with a fence. The consensus answer was that it wasn’t a problem a small caliber gun couldn’t solve. Then I had to explain how the Snarky Girlfriend just loves groundhogs. She thinks they are the cutest things ever – even making this high pitched “Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee” sound whenever she sees one. The response was, “Oh, you’re screwed”. Yep, pretty much.
I ended up hiring Critter Control to come trap them, but it wasn’t cheap. The hard part was convincing the SGF that they were being released at a groundhog sanctuary upstate. I don’t think she believed me, but it did solve the problem, except one did elude capture. I’m just hoping he doesn’t come back to enjoy the garden buffet this year.
I have heard that you can bury the bottom 6″ of your fence to keep critters from sliding under. If the groundhogs are tunneling under, do a little exploratory digging to see how deep their tunnels go, then sink your fence below that level.
From your photo, it appears you may also need to invest in fencing with smaller gaps.
Now, if you know of a way to keep cats from polluting a vegetable garden, let me know!
That first picture is 2 years old. I buried the fence better last year and added chicken wire but one kept getting in, probably over the fence as I saw no evidence of digging or holes.
Awww…just plant a few more veggies so the groundhogs can eat some too. So cute. Looks like a pic of a young ‘un sitting in that trap.
I have thought about planting a critter garden away from my main one.
I just moved into the country last fall and saw a woodchuck before the first snow fell, so I know I’ll be dealing with the critters this summer. I’ve thought about planting extra veggie plants – whatever woodchucks love – all around the perimeter (a few feet deep) so they can munch and fill their bellies by the time they reach the “real” garden. Maybe they will then leave the majority of my garden alone for me to eat.
Let us know if that works.