How to keep critters out of vegetable garden
micrazy
15 years ago
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micrazy
15 years agoRelated Discussions
How to keep rats out of vegetable garden?
Comments (30)Just something to keep in mind with the wire ideas, rats can fit through things that are the size of their head. If the head fits, the rest of the rat can too! That being said, perhaps some really tight wire? I've also personally had luck with decoys (I've got an owl who's head turns with the wind as though it's looking around, as well as a snake that looks ready to strike- the snake isn't realistic colors, but has a very realistic shape). I live right on a canyon so there are all types of critters out there (including things that eat rats and other possible pests like rabbits). We also get red tail hawks flying around. I like the idea of attracting more local predators to take care of the rats- owls especially for the evening hours as someone had mentioned. Perhaps if it gets really bad you can do something with motion detectors that active lights and/or jets of water? Just something to startle the rat off and make it think things aren't safe. I've heard of people doing that for larger things like raccoons, not sure if it would work with rats....See MoreCritter-resistant vegetable garden design question
Comments (6)Here's the vole technique, but it's very difficult to do during the growing season when there's a lot of foliage. First you have to find exit holes. To determine if the hole is active, place a piece of apple in front of it. To keep rabbits etc. from eating the apple, place two short pieces of two x four on either side of it and the hole. Put a five gallon bucket on the two x fours and weight it down with a rock. If the apple is gnawed or gone the next day, it's an active hole. Now, place some mouse/rat poison in a yogurt or cottage cheese container, lay it on its side and place it where you had the apple. with the opening facing the hole. Replace the bucket set up. (This keeps other animals safe from the poison.) Check it daily and replace poison as needed until it's no longer taken. Look for other holes and do the same. This holds the population down, but doesn't really protect my sweet potatoes in summer, because the holes are impossible to find under all the vegetation in my ornamental gardens. But it does work, and is the only thing I know of that does....See MoreA novel fence to keep out the critters
Comments (7)Two things I have not had to worry about are squirrels and rabbits- I have 10 cats! While the birds take some risks, their food has never been disturbed by any squirrels. As for deer, SO FAR, they have not been a problem. On the very rare occasions that my son has seen them in the yard, he has fired his BB gun at them (w/ my thanks). It would be a big problem though if the deer began eating up my yard. An opossum, on the other hand, took up living under the house there for awhile and I was feeding it as well as the cats (I suspect it was making itself free of the house by coming in through the kitty door). I'm sure there are raccoons too but I haven't seen any yet. Wildlife, I love it but only in its proper place- the woods. Brandy...See MoreIntelligent design for a critter-resistant vegetable garden
Comments (3)Hi I had a problem much like yours a few years ago, including two legged critters, What I did was to was to start by building several raised beds of various sizes then surrounding it with cattle panels supported by steel stakes. I Wired the first two feet of the panels with chicken wire and heavy plastic tarp. I wired the pannels to the stakes so that they were over 8ft. tall and even put a pannel top over half of it. I put in two gates that I kept locked and ran several electric wires to it so that most of it so it would keep almost everything out. That worked real well. I paid about $20 for each pannel and bought 10 of them and the stakes were about $8 for each stake. Lots of times you can get them at yard sales for half the price, the pannels will last for ever. I think that the chicken wire was $10 for a role of it. you can even add lights and noise makers or alarms. I found that it will keep just about everything out except Bears and sometimes even them. George W. Z5-6 MO....See Moresylvana_grows
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