My husband has seen a woodchuck leaving my garden on more than one occasion. I go out and look but I haven't found evidence ov his ever having been there, well, except for a pile of excrement...but that is outside my garden. I know he has eaten all of my neighbors flowers, but what will he eat out of the garden? Is he just checking it out or is he truly stalking it waiting for his moment?
At the beginning of the season something ate all of my lettuce then about a month ago something ate most of my carrot tops.
I have tomatoes, pole beans, cucumbers, squash, zucchini, carrots, onions, basil, peppers and marigolds.
Does anyone else have experience with them in the garden? Am I worrying over nothing?
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rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
Not worrying over nothing. Groundhogs can be pretty destructive in the garden. They are one of the reasons I keep my tomatoes wrapped in deer netting all the time (them + the raccoons... the raccoons are why the deer netting goes over the top too, groundhogs couldn't do that).
Groundhogs will eat practically anything green, but mine develops favorites. Seems to really like sunflower and black eyed susan plants, as soon as they start growing, it chews the tops off them, leaving just a few inches of stub. In my wildflower garden it really likes the appendaged waterleaf. It eats a lot of mulberries (did you know they CAN climb trees when they are motivated enough--mulberry season is the only time I ever see that).
But I would definitely suspect it of the lettuce and carrot tops. Ate all my cabbage and some of my zucchini leaves....
Groundhogs will eat practically anything green, but mine develops favorites. Seems to really like sunflower and black eyed susan plants, as soon as they start growing, it chews the tops off them, leaving just a few inches of stub. In my wildflower garden it really likes the appendaged waterleaf. It eats a lot of mulberries (did you know they CAN climb trees when they are motivated enough--mulberry season is the only time I ever see that).
But I would definitely suspect it of the lettuce and carrot tops. Ate all my cabbage and some of my zucchini leaves....
I had one living under my backyard neighbor's shed for many years. I watched it get really fat on the surrounding neighbors' vegetation, but it never bothered my stuff. It would cross my yard within 15 feet of me and we seemed to have a mutual respect going.
Then, last summer, it had a litter of pups and as they grew, they had the whole neighborhood mad. I lost several things and I knew they would continue multiplying so out came my pellet rifle. I took out 3 of them and a neighbor managed to club one with a baseball bat. He smoked their hole in his yard with some kind of chemical he got at a farmer's supply. That seemed to take care of the rest.
Now, we still have one living under that same shed. Just like the last one, it eats all of the neighbors' stuff, but it leaves mine alone. Thus, I leave it alone. I think I've figured out why. I have kids and they are always playing with their friends in our yard. I am constantly out there gardening and stuff, so there is alot of human activity. On top of that, I have a cat. The cat and groundhog never bother each other, but they watch each other very carefully. The cat often stays out at night.
I have no fencing around my garden, but I do grow alot of stinky stuff like sage, oregano, onions, garlic, basil, dill, marigolds, etc. There are alot of rabbits and squirrels around along with the occasional coon. No problems, except my seedlings sometimes get robbed in the spring. That might be birds.
Maybe it's the cat.
Then, last summer, it had a litter of pups and as they grew, they had the whole neighborhood mad. I lost several things and I knew they would continue multiplying so out came my pellet rifle. I took out 3 of them and a neighbor managed to club one with a baseball bat. He smoked their hole in his yard with some kind of chemical he got at a farmer's supply. That seemed to take care of the rest.
Now, we still have one living under that same shed. Just like the last one, it eats all of the neighbors' stuff, but it leaves mine alone. Thus, I leave it alone. I think I've figured out why. I have kids and they are always playing with their friends in our yard. I am constantly out there gardening and stuff, so there is alot of human activity. On top of that, I have a cat. The cat and groundhog never bother each other, but they watch each other very carefully. The cat often stays out at night.
I have no fencing around my garden, but I do grow alot of stinky stuff like sage, oregano, onions, garlic, basil, dill, marigolds, etc. There are alot of rabbits and squirrels around along with the occasional coon. No problems, except my seedlings sometimes get robbed in the spring. That might be birds.
Maybe it's the cat.