Gardens

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Countryside : One Thread

We try to grow lots of veges, but when the veges get to a pont all the wild animals eat them. What should I do? Genna

-- Genna M Allen (gmamagic@hotmail.com), February 27, 2000

Answers

That is too broad of a Question to answer with one clear cut answer.What type of animals are you having trouble with? Different animals can be controled different ways. Raccoons can be controled by growing pumpkins around youe garden, The coons do not loke to cross the sticly vines. Some say Marigolds help keep out rabbits. Wormwood also helps keep critters away. If deer are your problem, Human hair and or urnin sometimes helps. Lights, Scarecrows, noise makers, streamers, A dog might help. A raccoon in a cage will keep others away. Electric fence....or just put up with it. Mice can also be a problem, get a cat, Moles and voles, they are there to eat your grubs but also dammage your roots, remove the grubs, remove the rodents What type of animal trouble are yoou having? there are different ways to treat different problems Grant Read "The Organic Grange" at; http://www.homestead.com/theorganicgrange/theorganicgrange.html

-- Grant Eversoll (thegrange@earthlink.net), February 27, 2000.

We have dogs that bark at night when anything is around but the most important critter control we have is a 8' fence with 2" chicken wire and along the bottom 2' we have 2x'2 welded wire mesh chicken wire. Our Blacktail deer don't jump our fences, the bottom wire keeps the coons & skunks out. I hope that helps address your problem.

-- Hendo (OR) (redgate@echoweb.net), February 27, 2000.

They come at you from the ground! They come at you from the air! From all sides! Thats half the fun to see how creative you can be. Then the mysteries when vegies disapear. You swear it can't be possible!! I once caught my cat filching green tomatoes. OOOOh but when I win how sweet they taste. Kirk

-- Kirk Davis (kirkay@yahoo.com), February 28, 2000.

They're here , they're there, they're everwhere...pests! Last year we had problems with raccoons, possums, deer, rabbits, turtles, grouse and turkeys in the garden.

The raccoons and possums where the worst, ran an electric fence and set a trap nightly with whatever they were eating the night before, I dispatched an average of one of each a week from June through September.

The turtles where picked up and taken for a car ride.

The turkeys and grouse would sneak into the garden and eat the beans. We put up only 8 quarts of beans this year from 4 100ft rows due to these critters. We did however eat turkey and grouse this year.

Deer are a problem, We see up to a dozen a day. I planted a 20X30 patch of mangels and got none. The drought this year caused the deer to go after root crops, theye also ate some the potatoes. Once some appples came around they stayed out of the garden. fences don't work for these unless they are 8 foot high and 8 foot wide. I am going to install a solar powered floodlight this year neasr the garden, lets see if a light coming on will help scare them away.

One day while weeding the garden I had a rabbit jump on my foot, I knew right then I had a problem. I then proceed to week at least once a week with a 22.

You might be asking yourself why all the critters? Well the farm borders a state park with a lake and forest. The animals are not scared of humans or dogs, they see use a feed bags.

Dogs around the garden didn't seem to help too much, but I'll keep the basset hounds near it again this year. The animals just attack from a different side.

This year I think it will be shunks that are the problem. We have seem quite a few the past two weeks.

We plant a large garden, about 9000 sq.ft., to compensate for our losses due to animals.

Some of the other things that we tried were shiny mylar strps that flashed in the sunlight to keep away birds during the day. Putting hot pepper and garlic on the ground around the gardens. Putting bread out soaked in ammonia, to make the raccoons sick, I don't know if this worked or not, however the raccoons ate it. And I did caught a couple black snakes and released them in the garden to eat the mice and small rabbits. But what ever you do the animal will counter it, to get at the sweet corn and bright red tomatos. Oh yes, the dogs were also a problems, red tomatos look like balls and yes dogs do eat zucchini.

Try everthing, no one solution is the perfect answer. plan to accept some losses, i.e. plant more. I wish I had a better answer. It's a war them or us. Good Luck

-- Rich (pntbeldyk@wirefire.com), February 28, 2000.


Thank you all for responding to my question. I will have to try all of your suggestions. I'm only 13 and just learning!! Genna

-- Genna Allen (gmamagic@hotmail.com), February 28, 2000.


I once had a orange tree that for some reason was droping the oranges before thay were fully ripe, drove me nuts and for a week I tried everything to stop it[ more water, plant food] at the end of the week I discovered what it was-our dog loves to play ball and she thought it was wonderfull of us to plant a orange ball plant for her to play with while we were at work !garden catologes sell motion activated sprinklers that attache to a hose and turn on with movement you would sure have to remember to turn it off when you go in though.

-- kathy h (saddlebronc@msn.com), February 28, 2000.

Wow Genna thats great!! At just 13 you are going to be a pro! I started my first garden at about that age. Boy did I get hooked. Hope you keep at it. Kirk P.S. Great dog story Cathy.

-- Kirk Davis (kirkay@yahoo.com), February 28, 2000.

Moderation questions? read the FAQ