I seriously think I'm gonna have a brain meltdown right now. I just went out into the back garden to find that Mr. Groundhog had stripped almost all of the leaves from by beautiful cucumber plants. The stems looked they were freshly chewed. He must have done it while we were eating dinner. I never thought that an animal could inflict this amount of mental frustration on me. He is waaaay worse than any vole, rabbit, chipmunk or squirrel I've encountered. I really wish I could turn back time and smack him over the head really hard with my garden fork.
This past weekend, I went to my local plant nursery to seek some advice on how to deal with Mr. Groundhog. The manager suggested I bait my havahart cage trap with whatever he's been eating from the garden. So I bought some brussel sprout transplants to use as the bait. I figured I could just water it in the cage until Mr. Groundhog went for it. Of course he's way too smart for that. He devoured the three transplants that I'd set out into the garden but left this one alone.
I'm beyond consolable at this point. Thank God I started another batch of cucumbers a few weeks ago. At least all will not be lost this year. I will plant them in containers close to the house if I have to.
The next time I come face to face with this little punk, he's getting a shovel or bullet to the head. Start placing your bets my friends.
Thomas, I hope you catch that freeloading varmit. Just warn me when you're ready to do him in so I can close my eyes! I don't think I could do it myself. I'd have to have someone else do the dirty work. LOL!
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your misfortune. I am currently living a half hour away from where my garden is, and I am terrified everytime I go out there to find such devastation. Hopefully he will come out into the open soon so that you can... deal with him!
ReplyDeleteOh no, I would be cranky too - your veggies!!! However, seeing that we don't have groundhogs here, I'd be so excited at seeing one I'd probably give up a few veggies for a glimpse.
ReplyDeleteCan you try for a photo??? Before he's whacked on the head??
It seems that your groundhog is as voracious as my rats. Too bad there isn't the equivalent of the Rat Zapper for ground hogs - Iv'e been electrocuting a couple of rats almost every night, and they are still living under the hood of my car... and chewing on my plants...
ReplyDeleteWhack that friggen hog!
BTW, I've found that peanut butter and oatmeal is a great rat bait.
I'm guessing the odds of catching it in the trap are pretty low. They are pretty smart creatures. I'd try an electric fence or get someone to shoot it.
ReplyDeleteThe professional trapper that I had would always put a thin layer of newspaper on the inside bottom of the traps, put it near the entrance to his den and try to camouflage the cage. Also put a little food in the front of the cage and a smal trail of food to the back of the cage. That should lure him in.
ReplyDeleteGood Luck!
I am so upset too. I just went outside and found the leaves chewed off all my parsley, my fairytale eggplants, my zucchini, my acorn squash and my radishes. I just don't get it. He stole all my ammonia rags, they are gone, like he took them back to his den as blankets for a post-gorge nap. And some of the stuff was in 3 foot high beds. I don't understand how he got into the beds. But now that he has figured out how, I don't know what to do. I will be lucky to wind up with ANYTHING this year. I just cannot believe it. If anyone has any suggestions, let me know. I'm up for anything. Brando won't even go out there to look at it, because it makes him too upset.
ReplyDeleteGood luck Thomas!
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain. I went through it last year, but this year I haven't seen them yet in the garden. Do you have bird netting? I saved my last squash from my groundhog with that. I basically draped everything with it. If he really really wants to eat your plants he will anyway, but they hate getting their feet caught in that stuff Don't pull it taught. Just sort of drape it around anything you want to protect up to two feet high.
ReplyDeleteoooooh how frustrating. Maybe find him/her a mate to hike a leg out and give a come hither type of glance. There's got to be a down on their luck groundhog for hire standing one one street corner or another.
ReplyDeleteTasteless comment, yes, but when you're out of ideas....
I totally hear you! Groundhogs seem to be the biggest frustration to gardeners this year beside the blight I have been reading about. We have a groundhog also, and the little bastard ate my lettuce and ALL my brassicas... If I only had the kahunas to get rid of the jerk....
ReplyDeleteBeen there, Thomas. Dan and I bought our house and decided to have the wedding in the back yard. I wanted to grow all the flowers. I had so many plants going under lights that first winter I'm sure the local police were suspicious!
ReplyDeleteThe evil rodent ate almost every flower as well as the veggie garden. I cried a river. We got a Golden Retriever. The dog ate the pea shoots and brassicas. In the end, we had to fence the veggie garden. That has worked, although we still have GHs eating the flowers, living under my neighbors garage.
Someone suggested I try peanut butter in the trap. We haven't yet, but are planning to and I'll let you know if it works. I know the deer love it. Good luck!
How about a tape recording of a wolf or something? LOL I don't mean to laugh but your last paragraph was just plain awesome :)
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain, it's blight here - this stuff sure is giving us a run for our money this year, literally!
I too am battling groundhogs. I've tried repellents, hot pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, and now I'm putting chicken wire over the rabbit fencing at a 90 degree angle. They've eaten my pole beans and the leaves off my cucumbers. Apparently they are a huge problems for gardeners this year. If you find a solution, please let me know.
ReplyDeleteI'm feeling your pain!!!
ReplyDeleteMy ducklings that I got to help with my grasshopper problem... decided that my tender cucumber, corn, peas, and lettuce shoots were much tastier!
And my cats and maybe my dog were digging in the garden too!!!
So, last week, I installed a 26" garden fence. All is well now! Today I replanted my cucumber, some kale, corn and lettuce... decided to forget about the peas.
Hang in there...
Im in the same boat... I set the trap this morning...again!
ReplyDeleteI just dealt with this problem. Luckily I have a dog that seemed to warn off the ground hog from my garden but my neighbor's garden didnt fare so well. We went thru a pest control company who covered the trap with a green tarp and he used pieces of apple as the bait. I was skeptical of the apple but it worked. He was able to trap momma ground hog and her three little ones in two days.
ReplyDeleteTry apples and peanuts butter for bait. I've trapped a dozen groundhogs this way! Our Master Gardener veggie garden was overrun with them. We put the PB in a little can, or smeared it right on the apples.
ReplyDeleteI certainly feel your pain. I posted something similar on my own blog, but the culprits were squirrels. On the other hand, your successful harvest photos look great. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteI was about to put away my hav-a-hart (which I put alongside my garden fence) when I found an adult female trapped inside. Its like it was scratching around the perimeter and wandered into it- it wasn't even baited. So they are not THAT smart. The extra bonus was that it was pregnant, so there are now I'll have even less future groundhogs to deal with. Keep your chin up, you'll catch that SOB. :)
ReplyDeleteOh, I think we could probably make a blues chorus over groundhogs. Putting things close to the house won't help. Recent baby groundhogs have been walking over our stoop to get the best bites.... Good Luck1
ReplyDeleteI feel for you, it is just too sad to see poor defenseless plants razed to the ground! I have to say, this is one of the few advantages to inner city gardening . . . not many groundhogs and no deer. I've had one groundhog once, and the neighbor kids were so mesmerized that they traumatized it completely (it was hiding under a car the last we saw). We approached it with a plastic kid's bat but felt silly and ended up just chasing it under said vehicle. Squishing/bludgeoning animals is not my forte, but I wish you every success! (My grandpa was a real farmer, he put bullets through them.)
ReplyDeleteI hope you win the war in some fashion or other and get a little mental peace. :D
ReplyDeleteOne measly brussel sprout? Couldn't you make him a tossed salad, Thomas, hold the vinaigrette? Seriously, tempt him. To walk over that nasty smelly suspicious cage floor he needs to be aware of a hedge of lettuce and cucumber leaves and julienned carrots waiting for him. Put them in a little water so they don't wilt.
ReplyDeleteThanks for you support everyone! I've tried apples and peanut butter and carrots and cabbage..so far, nothing! I think I'll try the green tarp and newspaper for added affect.
ReplyDeleteI spinkled my cucumber plants with cayenne pepper this morning and it seemed to have lessened his appetite but they are still being chewed on. Now he's moving on to the melons.
I have a week off from work starting Thursday...I guess I'll be on groundhog stakeout.
Thomas, I would recpmmend a wildlife remedation service. They have them in Ct and RI,and Mass has to be the same, and I have used them before you might want to let an expert have a crack at the bugger. When I hired one they charge 0 if they fail, this one had a family of possums removed from the interior of a retail store
ReplyDeletegood luck
Please film the stake out.
ReplyDelete