Subject: Re: Groundhogs!

From: Cass Peterson <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 12 Jun 1999 13:33:16 -0400

Phil Reynolds has groundhogs (who doesn't?):

> Can anyone offer some advice on eliminating groundhogs from an
>organic vegetable garden? Can they be baited into a large Hav-A-Heart?
>

Yup. Apples make the best bait. Set the trap near the entrance to the
groundhog's burrow, preferably right in the groundhog's usual path. (The
entance hole will have a mound of dirt adjacent. The exit will have no
mound of dirt.) 

If you really don't want to kill the groundhog, check the trap frequently,
especially if it's in the sun. Groundhogs can't take much heat and will die
in the trap if they're stuck there too long. Release them at least two
miles from the garden, or they'll beat you back home.

If your veggie garden is small enough, you can fence groundhogs out with a
sturdy wire fence. They burrow, though, so you'll need to trench out around
the garden and bury the bottom six inches or so of the fence.

Another trick that often works against groundhogs, rabbits, and other
rodents is blood meal as a repellent. Don't sprinkle it on the ground,
though. Put a couple of tablespoons in a yogurt or margarine tub, add a
little water, and put in a rock for weight. Place a few of those around the
garden. Keep the lid handy for when you want to work in the garden. After a
few weeks, this stuff really stinks.

Cass Peterson
[email-masked]

Flickerville Mountain Farm & Groundhog Ranch
Specialty Produce and Flowers
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Nothing is easy. The best is worth the effort.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
www.flickerville.com

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