Garden

[Pooky1]

my inlawls have been planting a hugh garden for 40 years with no animals eating anything and last year like july they started eating stuff and this year we just bought plants and before there even in ground there allready getting eaten. brocolli. eggplants, swiss chard. cabbage. there eating everything. i bought  a thing a thing and i forget the name that there supossed to hate  but there eating everything .im looking for what i can use besides putting up fence. thank you for sugestions.

[x Hedge]

First thing is learn what critters you're dealing with and then come back. We can Google up your best approach and supplement that with our first hand experience on those critters.

That will be determined partly by where you're located. For instance, I don't have weasels, woodchucks, skunks, rabbits, or moles. But some here will have them all. I get field mice, squirrels, raccoons, opossum, and pesky cats.

Look for bugs or larva that may be chewing too. Note if leaves are chewed neatly from the edges, or ragged blotchy holes, etc.

Hoping this turns out well for you @Pooky1 .

I likewise had no chewers or other damage until recent years.   What a pain!!

[grandma r]

Our garden area is enclosed.  We don't plant as much as we used to.  The framing is pressure treated wood with chicken wire around the perimeter.  It's about 4 feet high.

Anything that grows above, the deer are welcome to.  Rabbits are very pesky.  I have seen them work away to get thru the wire or burrow under.  We've always had issues with rabbits!!!  Nothing deters them.  They eat my flowers as well.

Anyway, last year we saw in influx of squirrels.  They climbed right into the garden and helped themselves.  We finally had to get netting to put over the top to keep them out.

[Fressa]

This is a constent for us because we have woods next to our lot. First ....you need to identify what rodents/critters you have. You may need some garden fencing to discourage some them. (They do have some pretty options so it doesn't look industrieal) There are spary repellents for just about every critter that you spray on or around your plant area. (remember to wear gloves and a mask) I have had excellent luck withthe sonic pest repellers that send out a pulse signal. It just keeps them away from that area. I have put the in ground sensors for the volves, etc. to keep them away for our foundation. They work well. You can find these solar and battery poweredc sensors for all types of critters. They help but remember that no deivice is 100%. I have found that the combination of devices and sprays have yeilded results for us. 

One thing to keep in mind is to check for any waterr or food source that could be attracting them to the area. I tried the "sacrifice" garden but we had too many deer for that to work. The "sacrifice" water source of one fountain has helped quite a bit with keeping possums, raccoons and tthat sort close to the woods and away from our foundation. 

Hope some of this works for your situation.  

[x Hedge]

   @Pooky1 

Meant to come back last night and add (before you spend any money) that many of these critters will dig or tunnel under, or easily climb over any kind of fence.

But not all of them!

Even an inexpensive plastic deer or snow fence will stop some. (Birds can get caught in deer fencing, depending on how you use it.)

I used to plant rows of Swiss Chard as a border for rabbits. They were satisfied to eat only at the border because they could make a quick getaway.

One petsistant squirrel got through everything. I had to trap it in a Havaheart trap and remove it. End of problem and no longer needed to wrap everything in metal screening.

[Pooky1]

we saw the groundhog yestauday again. my mil went to church and was telling someone she knows and she said i have trap to catch animals so shes dropping it off today or tomorrow. 

[RedTop]

@Pooky1,

The only way to get rid of a groundhog is to relocate it, or kill it, as he/she will not be deterred from an easy meal.   

Groundhogs and deer are the most stubborn animals to deal with when it comes to breaking their established feeding routine to your property.   I also seriously doubt there is just one groundhog.   

Groundhogs are not fearful animals, and they are mean; a groundhog will kill a dog.  You cannot run a groundhog off, and most likely his den is very near to his food source, as in underneath an outbuilding.   

[mousiegirl]

@Pooky1   No groundhogs here, but gopers will pull an entire plant, even a good sized rose bush, right through their tunnel.  I watched an Iris disappear before my eyes last year.  At least with gophers, I can plant everything in wire baskets, but a groundhog eats above ground.  I bought this at Gardeners Supply last year for the tomato plants, but it sounds as if your plot is much larger so just build a fence, wire and PVC pipes is probably the least expensive but sturdy, and make sure the wire openings are small enough so nothing can squeeze through. and wire.

[PA Mom-mom]

@Pooky1  We had a 3 foot double chicken wire fence for years. Then the groundhogs started climbing over it. About 10 years ago, we spent the money on a battery operated electric fence. It runs around the garden at a 4 inch level and an eight inch level. We have had no problems with any rabbits, groundhogs or anything since. You just have to make sure there are no leaves or other debris touching the wires. The two D batteries last for at least one season. I would never plant a garden without an electric fence going forward.

[gardenman]

With metal fencing like chicken wire or the sort, the ideal solution is to dig a trench about a foot deep and a foot wide. Bend the bottom foot of the fencing in an "L" shape and bury the lower leg of the "L" in the trench with the upright portion closer to the garden. Most burrowing animals will start to dig when they get to a barrier like a fence, not a foot or more away. As they dig down and run into the horizontal section of fencing, they'll typically get frustrated and give up. This technique stops most burrowing critters. Small things like voles will just zip through most barriers however and are more of a challenge to stop.