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TheWaterbug
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Invulnerable squirrel cages of Cucurbitoid invincibility!!!

Has everyone seen my frequently self-promoted chicken-wire cages to keep the squirrels away from my pumpkins?

[img]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/3552590/AntiSquirrelCages.jpg[/img]

They're amazing! They're squirrel-proof! They're invulnerable! They're . . . useless against gophers:

[img]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/3552590/GopherFodder_web.jpg[/img]

I was thinking about whether to cull a few of my Big Max pumpkins, and now I don't have to!

He came up through that little patch of dark, loose soil that you can see just below the gap in the vine.

I'm lucky that the cut section is downstream of the pumpkin, so for now the fruit is still attached to the vine (to the left).

I'm going to have to add "gopher" to my signature. :roll:
Last edited by TheWaterbug on Fri Aug 12, 2011 1:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Fig3825
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I think you might need a Thumper, then you can call the gophers and exterminate them!

[url=https://dune.wikia.com/wiki/Thumper]THUMPER![/url]

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Tilde
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That is hilarious - I was in a half-dream last night (having never seen this thread) and was thinking about making something like those instead of paying out the yazoo to do container gardening in milk crates.

Good idea! :) Thanks so much for the visual and validation of my dream.

Hey, why not put a hinged bottom on them with a hole port for the stem?

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TheWaterbug
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Tilde wrote:Hey, why not put a hinged bottom on them with a hole port for the stem?
That's a good thought, but it also makes for a lot more work when I "install" them.

Right now they're simple cylinders with a small "port" cut out of the bottom edge. When I find a baby pumpkin I just plop it on top and push a few stakes into the ground to hold it.

If I had to go all the way around I'd actually have to assemble it in the field.

I've something similar a few times, when I wanted to the pumpkin standing on its blossom end. Then, the vine is off the ground and has to enter/exit the cage above ground. Then I have to cut the port about midway up the side of the cage, and I usually have it exit out the top. Too much work, especially with those prickly vines.

Actually, as I'm thinking about your idea more and more, the bottom doesn't have to be hinged. All I have to do is slip a square of mesh under the cage and push the stakes through it. 360 degree protection!

I may try that next year, in the area where the gophers come up.

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Tilde
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Right - the bottom doesn't need to be round - stake it through the wall and the floor. It can be hinged if you like, though; hinges are easy now that zip ties are more easily available.

Thinking about storage, since they are all the same size you can just run a rope through them and hang them up. I'll probably taper mine so I can do a bunch up and store them until I go through them. No "lid" for me since I'll be using them for planting.

garudamon11
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Wow you have so many annoying animals in your garden, I wonder how you can grow plants with that many :twisted: animals

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TheWaterbug
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Yeah, it's sorta a mixed bag. I have lots of critters, but I don't have many bugs. As I think through the last two seasons of gardening, the only bugs that have really bugged :) me are the pill bugs that eat my cantaloupes.

And I could probably take care of those just by setting the melons on top of something so they stay dry and off the damp soil.

The good thing about large critters is that barrier methods work, and I don't have to worry about spraying anything, organic or otherwise. You can also chase them away by screaming at them, which doesn't really help anything, but it gives you some visceral satisfaction.

Of course the bad part is that critters are stronger and craftier than bugs, and they figure out ways of getting under/around/through the barriers.

I see others' stories and pictures about squash vine borers, tomato/tobacco hornworms, etc. and I just cringe.

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applestar
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Drats! ...er Dgophers? :P I like your ideas though. definitely on my list of things to do to while away the winter duldrums. :wink:

garden5
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You can always try one of these [url=https://www.amazon.com/Contech-CRO101-Scarecrow-Activated-Sprinkler/dp/B000071NUS]Motion Activated Sprinklers[/url].

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TheWaterbug
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garden5 wrote:You can always try one of these [url=https://www.amazon.com/Contech-CRO101-Scarecrow-Activated-Sprinkler/dp/B000071NUS]Motion Activated Sprinklers[/url].
Ordered!!!

I'll have to see if it's sensitive enough to see squirrels. I'm thinking it would definitely see the [url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=39792]pesky, prolific peafowl prowling my patch.[/url]

My garden (excluding the pumpkin patch) is long and skinny, so I'd probably need at least two of these, but it's worth a try. I should set up a controlled experiment and see if it works.

Any known peafowl bait I can use? I'd like to find/buy something to try out, as opposed to using something I've taken the time to grow :)

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soil
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a note to you if you go the sprinkler route, you need to move it every few weeks, animals become accustomed to where they are at. when you move them its always a surprise to them and keeps them away. I had a friend who used them for deer, it worked at first, but after a few weeks they would be standing getting soaked by the sprinkler while eating his veggies. once he moved it that stopped happening.

dtlove129
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Waterbug, does that sprinkler work?

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TheWaterbug
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I haven't had a chance to put it in!



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