Tomorrow my epic battle with Mother Groundhog begins!!

[Jersey Devil]

Every year I plant my vegetable garden on Memorial Day Weekend, about the best time in NJ to be certain we are free of frost. Last year, for the first time, a ground hog ate almost everything as soon as I planted it. So, I went out and bought 4x4 landscape ties, laid them around the garden, put up a wire 3 foot high bunny fence and replanted. But Mother Groundhog pushed the fence away from the posts and found her way in and ate it again. Knowing this was war, I then reinforced the fence and kept her out, or so I thought, until one day in August when the plants were just beginning to bear edible veggies and Ma Groundhog not only returned, but brought two of her little ones with her. High, strong fence? No problem - she dug under it.

So this year I lined the 4x4 border with big rocks so she cannot dig under into the garden. I am waiting to see what additional tricks she might have up her sleeves (err, paws) and will report back on the progress of this battle.

I don't want to harm her or her umm, dunno what you call baby groundhogs, but I won't surrender!!

[Mind_your_head]

1. Maybe you can just put out some food that groundhogs (and her babies)

would like and then she'll be so well-fed that she'll keep away from your garden? :shrug:

I've got every squirrel, bunny, and bird in the neighborhood feasting at my "bird feeder" - they leave my garden alone (although I attribute that to the 'dried blood meal' that I sprinkle around the perimeter of the garden. Maybe a combination of the two things works here, just offering a thought or two to consider in your sitation there.

Good luck - I hope you and the groundhog will both win! (a great un-touched garden for you and a happy, well-fed groundhog, with babies, who are just trying to find a meal in this dog-eat-dog world).

[electron_blue]

2. What happened with your groundhog?

We have a mama & 3 babies living in our backyard and I pretty much gave up hope of putting in a veg. garden this year bcs of it. I think the babies have been eaten by a hawk or something, as they were all over the place for a week and now I haven't seen them in a week. And I had a hawk cruising in my backyard. Anyway... mama is still around and my neighbors and I haven't decided to get rid of her yet, but not sure what we'll do. We don't want to have her dig up the whole yard.