|
Post by daylilydude on Jan 10, 2018 12:02:33 GMT -5
Do you have a technique that you use to keep them out... besides lead poisoning
|
|
|
Post by ahntjudy on Jan 10, 2018 12:13:55 GMT -5
2' high Rabbit Guard fencing around the veggie garden with 1/2" hardware cloth buried underground some...
Keeps the rabbits out...No deer issues here thankfully...
|
|
|
Post by meandtk on Jan 10, 2018 12:26:26 GMT -5
A mean dog
|
|
|
Post by brownrexx on Jan 10, 2018 12:40:35 GMT -5
My main critter problem is bunnies so I have half of my garden fenced with wire about 3' high. I move the fence to the other half of the garden every 2 years to allow for crop rotation.
I only fence items that the rabbits bother like peas, leafy veggies and bush beans. Things like tomatoes, peppers, corn, potatoes, pole beans, and squash are not bothered so I do not fence them.
I don't have deer problems.
|
|
|
Post by mgulfcoastguy on Jan 10, 2018 13:21:16 GMT -5
Well something ate almost all of my beets down to the ground this fall. Little Bunny Fo Fo had better be wearing camouflage when he visits the garden again or I will be eating my beets second hand.
|
|
|
Post by spike on Jan 10, 2018 13:35:10 GMT -5
We fenced in the acre behind out house so the dogs could run. It is just welded wire so bunnies find a way in all the time. BUT my garden is up nearish the house and I planted a variety of clovers out in the back by the fence. That way the bunnies come and eat clover and can run for it when we loose the dogs. We did have a coon come nibble a couple ears of corn last year but that was the first time for that. The only real critter problem I have is my tomato stealing pup >,<
|
|
|
Post by hairymooseknuckles on Jan 10, 2018 13:37:40 GMT -5
Most of my trouble was coons and field mice. We played a radio dialed into a talk show for the coons and use traps for mice.
|
|
|
Post by pepperhead212 on Jan 10, 2018 15:46:15 GMT -5
Rabbits and squirrels are my problems. Squirrels I trap, and rabbits I keep out in two ways: greens I start as seeds, and plant small seedlings in a double row, sprikled with sluggo, for that pest, and T-tape down the middle, then cover the row with Agribon. In about 30 days the greens are pushing up on the cloth, and I remove it, and then I sprinkle around some Rabbit Scram around, but I re-cover the Kohlrabi! There is a fatal attraction Kohlrabi has to rabbits - I have had it chewed to the ground overnight, while not another green was touched! Same thing with napa and groundhogs. I never see groundhogs, except when I have grown napa! So I stopped, and I never see them anymore.
|
|
|
Post by tomike on Jan 10, 2018 15:59:53 GMT -5
Squirrels are easy to trap but rabbits ...... that's another issue and I may need to fence this year.....
|
|
veggiegal
Junior Member
Posts: 5
Joined: December 2017
|
Post by veggiegal on Jan 10, 2018 18:04:41 GMT -5
We put up a fence to keep the next door cats out, then noticed something was eating a tomato every day or so. Turns out it was a mouse. We actually saw it walking on the top of the fence, it's a strong wire and the top edge is sharp. Apparently didn't hurt the mouse and we set traps. Looks like we have another one, so traps will go out again.
|
|
|
Post by Gianna on Jan 10, 2018 18:29:58 GMT -5
We have cottontails, ground squirrels, and gophers. The gophers I trap whenever possible. The bunnies and squirrels I only trap when there are so many they become a problem. I don't much like killing critters, but it's them or us. If I'm not trapping, I also use bunny fencing. Fortunately now, I think because of the drought, the ground squirrels population is low.
The best bait I've found for buns and squirrels is chopped up romaine lettuce, and then lay a moderately generous trail of it leading into the trap.
|
|
|
Post by hairymooseknuckles on Jan 10, 2018 18:32:55 GMT -5
We put up a fence to keep the next door cats out, then noticed something was eating a tomato every day or so. Turns out it was a mouse. We actually saw it walking on the top of the fence, it's a strong wire and the top edge is sharp. Apparently didn't hurt the mouse and we set traps. Looks like we have another one, so traps will go out again. Yes ma'am. They will eat your biggest, pretty tomatoes too! I had planted a hillbilly tomato for seed saving. I had been watching it daily as it grew. It was so big and so pretty. I waited till just the right time and I reached into the bush to puck it and discovered it was half eaten on the back side. I cursed a blue streak that day!
|
|
|
Post by brownrexx on Jan 11, 2018 9:19:58 GMT -5
I don't know that I have ever had a problem with mice eating my tomatoes although there are plenty of mice around here but I saw some photos on Tomatoville where the poster was finding damage to their tomatoes and they set up a camera.
Sure enough they got pics of a mouse showing up at night and munching on their tomatoes. I had never realized that they did that before I saw those pics.
I live in an area where there are tons of weeds with seeds and other things that mice like to eat so I wonder if mice eating tomatoes is more of a problem in areas where it is dry?
However in late summer I sometimes find some small bites out of a few tomatoes near the bottom of my plants and I can never figure out what does it. Maybe it is mice. I never suspected them before.
|
|
|
Post by Laura_in_FL on Jan 11, 2018 9:39:11 GMT -5
The most unusual pest problem I ever had was a melon-munching tortoise.
|
|
stone
Pro Member
Posts: 170
Zone:: 8
Favorite Vegetable:: Bambi
Joined: December 2011
|
Post by stone on Jan 11, 2018 12:22:50 GMT -5
The most unusual pest problem I ever had was a melon-munching tortoise. Here's one eating horse apples. While they haven't bothered the melons that I've observed.... They will eat squash leaves..... Most bizarre is watching them eat cndosculous! The cats eat peppers, tomatoes, beans, corn, watermelons, cantelope.... Better the cats than rodents.... Have a rabbit eating the carrot leaves right now....
|
|
poppopt
Junior Member
Posts: 89
Joined: May 2017
|
Post by poppopt on Jan 11, 2018 15:00:48 GMT -5
Definitely an interesting and relevant topic for me. Just put in some stakes where I want the new garden to be this year. It's not as big as I wanted but where I think I need to start. It's only 40 X 60 so 200' of fence will go around it. Now, just gotta decide what fence it's gonna be. Honestly, I haven't seen a single rabbit or coon or possum since I've been here (mid November). But I am seeing some of those little "hump trails" running around the yard in different places so I'm guessing moles may live here. Hmmm. I've not seen a deer close but have seen one in the distance on the edge of the woods. (We looked at each other for a few minutes and then it left, went back deep into the woods.) Previously, I've only had a 2' bunny fence (chicken wire) which did pretty well in PA where there were bunnies. But I know if I want to keep deer out, it'll take a lot more than that... that is if the deer even discover that it's there. It doesn't seem to be in a place where they travel as I haven't seen prints. I may put in a few raised beds that could be pretty easy to protect or maybe even a small greenhouse. I'm not so worried about those. Not sure yet. But I'm plannin' n schemen'.
|
|
|
Post by paquebot on Jan 12, 2018 0:49:08 GMT -5
Squirrels are easy to trap but rabbits ...... that's another issue and I may need to fence this year..... If you have the means to trap squirrels, you can trap rabbits. I use a #1 long spring for squirrels and just bought two more from Cabela's last weekend. I do have a live trap but they are only effective for rabbits when there's a lot of snow and nothing else to eat. Did have a neighbor's cat that would bring home rabbits as big as he was but disappeared (a.k.a. stolen) last fall. My home garden is mostly fenced 18" high but several openings without closures. I've been narrowing them down with a Christmas tree and planters so that they will only have a 6" entry way. As soon as we get some more snow, there'll be a #1 set in those pinch points. Sometimes one must do what must be done in this eat or be eaten world. Martin The truth is more important than the facts.
|
|