How can I keep groundhogs away from my veggie garden?
It can certainly be a little frustrating to find out your vegetable garden has been discovered by groundhogs. You can’t really blame the groundhog though, after all it’s just looking for a food source. However, there are things you can do to make your garden a little less appealing.
The best way to keep groundhogs out of your garden is to put a fence around it. The fence can be made of welded wire mesh or chicken wire. Because groundhogs can climb and dig, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. The fence should be about 1 m above the ground. The top 0.3 m of the fencing should not be secured. This will allow it to wobble and curl downward at the top which makes it unstable, taking away the support the groundhog requires. Because groundhogs can dig, the fence should also be buried. Bury the fence approximately 0.3 m below the ground, bend the mesh at a right angle away from the garden and lay down another 0.3 m of wire (so that it forms an ‘L’).
You can also try some deterrents:
- Dog hair – place some dog hair in a nylon stocking or a mesh bag. These can be attached to small sticks and placed in and around your garden.
- Talcum powder – this can be mixed with water and sprayed on plants
- Lemons – slices of lemons can be placed in your garden around your plants
- Garlic and/or onion powder – these can be sprinkled around your plants
- Shiny pinwheels – placing pinwheels in and around your plants may also help keep groundhogs out of your garden
- Beach balls – hang beach balls around your garden, works best on breezy days
With the deterrents, people tend to have better success if they reapply often, especially after it rains. As a bonus, these deterrents should also work for rabbits.