Help, I'm tired of sharing!

This is the third year in a row I've had the same problem, Groundhogs. My family's garden starts CV of great then....yummy! I've managed to shoot a couple but I work when there feeding, Dad's eyesight isn't what it was and the boys aren't into killing them. I got a box trap but I have caught more skunks then whistlepigs. So any advice? Deterrents? Anything really cause I have had it!

I use Chinese White Geese to patrol my garden.   They do a very good job of keeping my garden nibbler free - and they leave most of my plants alone.   I have had to put a "roof" over my strawberries and around some other plants.   But it is a whole lot easier keeping the Chinese white geese from your plants than rodents.    

At first they didn't work out so well for me, but the ones that were raised on my property did indeed become very territorial.   As an added bonus, they keep FedX, UPS, postal employees, and other riff-raff out of your garden.  

Jersey Shore? I drive by on i-80 during my daily commute It is a nice town.

As a kid, I had a dog that enjoyed groundhog patrol. He was a 60-ish pound mix - german shepherd and husky. Groundhogs are tough, so I wouldn't turn a dog smaller than 50-ish pounds loose on one. Even that biggish dog may need a vet trip for stitches the first few times they tangle with a groundhog. They would probably just laugh at a cat.

I have multiple groundhogs at my current house. Putting up simple chicken wire barriers around my trees keeps them off. They are pretty lazy and will take the easiest meal. Unless there are mulberries involved - I have seen them climb trees for mulberries.

I also have a tendency to allow all kinds of delicious weeds to grow around my property, which they tend to eat instead of the stuff I want to eat. So far, they have let my hugels alone, so maybe something like a raise bed is a deterrent...

Rick English wrote:Jersey Shore? I drive by on i-80 during my daily commute It is a nice town.

As a kid, I had a dog that enjoyed groundhog patrol. He was a 60-ish pound mix - german shepherd and husky. Groundhogs are tough, so I wouldn't turn a dog smaller than 50-ish pounds loose on one. Even that biggish dog may need a vet trip for stitches the first few times they tangle with a groundhog. They would probably just laugh at a cat.

I have multiple groundhogs at my current house. Putting up simple chicken wire barriers around my trees keeps them off. They are pretty lazy and will take the easiest meal. Unless there are mulberries involved - I have seen them climb trees for mulberries.

I also have a tendency to allow all kinds of delicious weeds to grow around my property, which they tend to eat instead of the stuff I want to eat. So far, they have let my hugels alone, so maybe something like a raise bed is a deterrent...

Yeah town's not too bad, mostly quiet. I like the fact that I live less then 10 miles out but it feels like 100.

I had a beagle that would catch groundhogs but he crossed years ago. Wish I could get a rescue Husky.....

I'm really thinking about some kind of fence. Gonna have to take stock of my scrap pile.

You have a point on the raised bed theory. I have several container gardens and they never bother them nor the best makeshift hybrid hugal I'm playing with.

With the amount of weeds we have I wish they would stick with them!

eat them . ground hogs are excellent in a [beef] stew . very fine grained dark meat and low fat , not marbled.

robert  e morgan wrote:eat them . ground hogs are excellent in a [beef] stew . very fine grained dark meat and low fat , not marbled.

My Gram used to make a roast out if them. I never had it but Dad has told tales.

I don't plant specific crops in specific fields because of specific predators. Squash are a crop that seems to survive my groundhogs just fine.