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stich82

gopher trouble

stich82
14 years ago

Well this will be my third season attempting a vegetable garden in Colorado. I live right outside Colorado Springs, in the Black Forest area. The first year I lost my whole garden to a July hailstorm. Last year I had a tarp system in place for hail, but gophers moved in and caused massive damage. I have talked to a few people and they say that poison is the best way to get rid of gophers. Is there any other way to manage these pests other than poison? Has anyone ever tried those electronic ultrasound sticks you can put in the ground around the garden? Do they work? Any help would be appreciated. Aside from the big gopher problem, I have had good luck with lettuce, carrots, and radishes. ThatÂs about it. Can't seem to get tomatoes to grow here. Thanks for reading!

Comments (6)

  • david52 Zone 6
    14 years ago

    I'd save your money on the electronic sticks. Traps are very effective - there was a discussion on this forum a while back where someone was saying that one particular variety, that I don't recall, was very effective. I use the cheap kind that have the big, flat trigger at the end.

  • greenbean08_gw
    14 years ago

    I live in Falcon. We have had pocket gophers along our back fence (I'm crossing my fingers they don't find the veggie garden). My neighbor tried trapping last year but didn't seem to catch any. They ultimately put out poison (on the other side of their house from me b/c I have cats & dogs & they didn't want any accidents). I'm not certain that we don't have one active still, but with the lovely weather, I just haven't checked daily for dirt movement (and sometimes it might be from the dogs). I have a short t-post that I poke the ground with. When I find tunnels I either expose them or cave them in. I'm hoping that an inhospitable environment (and 2 large dogs) will keep me from having to decide to kill the little guys. I am aware of the real potential for problems with my plan... ;-)

    Sorry for you garden losses. Last year was my first year here. A neighbor suggested some form of hail protection when I started the garden. After hearing your story, I'm glad I took his advice.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Tales of a Transplanted Gardener

  • digit
    14 years ago

    A couple of times, I've hammered in a metal rod every few inches. . . pull it up and hammer and pull it up and hammer and . . .

    Spending about a half hour with the hammer and a rod seemed to inform the gopher of the risks of using those tunnels.

    I've also "popped" a gopher out of the ground with my 4-prong cultivator and smacked him in the head. Look, if he's gonna mound dirt in my footprint right after I've walked across tilled ground - I can figure out that he's very near that mound and very near the surface.

    I don't really recommend patrolling your property night and day with your trusty 4-prong. Others have had success with traps as David says. After ivillage gets their search function up again, you can find someone talking about their success with a Black Hole gopher trap on this forum. Until then, there's a link below for some particulars and testimonials.

    digitSÂ

    Here is a link that might be useful: Black Hole gopher trap

  • laura_42
    14 years ago

    Hi stich82 --

    Raised beds lined with metal mesh (i.e. hardware cloth or chicken fencing) might be another option to consider.

  • stich82
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Hey thanks everyone for the advice! david52, I think I will try the traps, I was a little skeptical about the electronic sticks. If I canÂt solve the problem this year I may resort to the raised beds as you suggested laura_42. I agree digitS that patrolling the property day and night isnÂt really an option. I actually have spent a good deal of time out there trying to spot one, but I have yet to actually see any. My heeler did catch one though and it looked like a pocket gopher. I have seven acres, and the gopher damage is EVERYWHERE, including my field and front yard. They have just recently spread to the garden area. Last year my neighbor paid someone to come over and blow up the tunnels with a gopher blaster. It sounded like WW3 for two days. I thought it was kinda extreme, but now IÂm thinking they just scared most of them over my way. Oh well. I have tried drowning them out, but as that seemed futile I later read it is mostly ineffective and a waste of water. I have heard that the poison pellets are the most effective means of control, but I am a little afraid to use them since I have livestock grazing my field and a flock of free ranging chickens that wander the rest of the property. I have also tried caving in the tunnels and making the area somewhat inhospitable, but that hasnÂt seemed to slow them down. So the traps will be my next strategy. Oh and greenbean08, good luck on gardening in Colorado if you are new to it! I am a novice gardener all around, but I am from Illinois and so far it has proven much more difficult to garden here. I think I have worked out my strategy for late season hail and coping with a shorter growing season, but I have a lot to learn as far as this particular climate goes. The past two years I have produced enough veggies to use as I harvest, but my goal is to actually be able to can veggies for the winter again! Tomatoes and peppers are my favorite, as I would love to be able to can some homemade salsa, and freeze some anaheims and pablanos for green chile stew. So if anyone has some tips on growing tomatoes here, I would really appreciate the advise. The first year my tomatoes were wiped out by the hail, I have that covered now. But last year they hardly produced any tomatoes and IÂm not sure why. Once again thanks everyone!

  • stich82
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    greenbean08, I looked at the link you posted after I already posted my last response. Thanks, it is VERY helpful!

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