As if the ants in the house weren't bad enough, now I have a groundhog in my yard.
This was fine for the first week or so. DH called him Herman. He's cute and fluffy and the kids really enjoyed seeing him chow down on the clover in the lawn. However, he's decided that clover just doesn't cut it anymore.
I returned from Toronto yesterday to discover that Herman had moved from clover to green beans. All of them. The tops were gone - no flowers and no beans. He'd also knocked over the tomato plants, damaging a couple of them badly enough that I'm not sure they will live. Did I mention he'd helped himself to some of the tomatoes, too?
DH did a quick Internet search, and discovered that the easiest way to get rid of groundhogs is a) poison or b) relocation. I can attempt to fence off the veggie garden, putting down landscape fabric and a short wire fence, but at this point the plants aren't worth saving. I'll make a mental note for NEXT year, and make sure that I have groundhog prevention measures in place.
In the mean time, I have decided the most environmentally-friendly way to get rid of my new tenant (he's living under our garden shed), is to trap him and remove him from the area. Now I'm on the hunt for a humane trap big enough for a groundhog.
Anyone have one I can borrow?
Your local SPCA should have Havahart traps to lend or rent. If they don't, they should know where you can borrow one.
ReplyDeleteI've made peace with my groundhog... Ms Molly has been avoiding my garden ever since I draped my chicken wire fence with a piece of burlap: here's a link to the post where I explain it all
A Hard Day's Night
Thanks, DJP. I'll make peace with Herman once I get the veggie garden groundhog proof! :)
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeletemy parents are visiting and they have a groundhog and a flower garden. Apparently only the big plants survive. The wire fence would have to go at least 2 feet down so they don't dig under it. They wish you well:)
Two feet? Ugh. That's next year's project. :)
ReplyDelete