Tomatoville® Gardening Forums


Notices

Member discussion regarding the methods, varieties and merits of growing tomatoes.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old June 5, 2018   #16
Worth1
Tomatovillian™
 
Worth1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Den of Drunken Fools
Posts: 38,539
Default

A groundhog is a marmot as well as the prairie dog and other related ground squirrels.
It is thought that this is where the original black death came from in areas of Asia from fleas on marmots ending up on rats and then people.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yersinia_pestis

Worth
Worth1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old June 5, 2018   #17
imp
Tomatovillian™
 
imp's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Wichita Falls, Texas
Posts: 4,832
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Worth1 View Post
A groundhog is a marmot as well as the prairie dog and other related ground squirrels.
It is thought that this is where the original black death came from in areas of Asia from fleas on marmots ending up on rats and then people.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yersinia_pestis

Worth

Not quite.



A ground hog is in the marmot genus, as Groundhog, woodchuck, or whistlepig, M. monax found in most of North America, but prairie dogs are in the family Prairie dogs (genus Cynomys), which has 5 species.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmot


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prairie_dog
imp is offline   Reply With Quote
Old June 5, 2018   #18
Nan_PA_6b
Tomatovillian™
 
Nan_PA_6b's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 3,194
Default

Bjbebs-I just use the plain cage-type with the spring loaded door. I put them on the ground hog's path to my garden, baited with carrots. They get caught easily. The biggest problems with these traps are: 1.) raccoons often get caught instead, and 2.) when I'm done, I have a live ground hog to get rid of.

You're right about either fence or feed 'em. They're worse than deer in that deer are picky. Ground hogs will eat almost anything.
Nan
Nan_PA_6b is offline   Reply With Quote
Old June 5, 2018   #19
Urbanheirlooms
Tomatovillian™
 
Urbanheirlooms's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: New Castle, Virginia
Posts: 205
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nan_PA_6b View Post
Bjbebs-I just use the plain cage-type with the spring loaded door. I put them on the ground hog's path to my garden, baited with carrots. They get caught easily. The biggest problems with these traps are: 1.) raccoons often get caught instead, and 2.) when I'm done, I have a live ground hog to get rid of.

You're right about either fence or feed 'em. They're worse than deer in that deer are picky. Ground hogs will eat almost anything.
Nan
My groundhogs are picky! They wait until the largest, prettiest tomatoes on my vines start to blush, then pick them off and eat a few bites, then just leave most of the tomato on the ground take me even madder! They never touch the ugly deformed cat faced tomatoes. I have my garden fenced which does keep the deer out, but unless you have the posts real close together, they just force their way under the fence. Even with part of my garden fenced with 6' privacy fence, they dig under it. Last summer my wife was in the kitchen and saw one in my garden. I went out on my deck and there was a large groundhog standing up on its back legs holding a nice tomato in its front paws looking straight at me eating away.

I have effectively used smoke bombs in the past, but all of the burrows are on neighbors property and they will not let me kill them.
Urbanheirlooms is offline   Reply With Quote
Old June 5, 2018   #20
Nan_PA_6b
Tomatovillian™
 
Nan_PA_6b's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 3,194
Default

The burrows here are on the neighbor's property, too. I put up the deer fence and they dug under, so I dug a trench at the fence line & sunk a low fence down into the ground. Not very deep, just 2-6", but it's enough to discourage the 'hogs. Also my fence is surrounded by weeds on the outside making it harder for them to dig through the roots to go under. (Yeah, that's why I have weeds there...) At the gate, I laid deer fence on the ground so they can't dig under that part. It's now pressed into the dirt so we don't trip over it.
Nan
Nan_PA_6b is offline   Reply With Quote
Old June 5, 2018   #21
Urbanheirlooms
Tomatovillian™
 
Urbanheirlooms's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: New Castle, Virginia
Posts: 205
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nan_PA_6b View Post
The burrows here are on the neighbor's property, too. I put up the deer fence and they dug under, so I dug a trench at the fence line & sunk a low fence down into the ground. Not very deep, just 2-6", but it's enough to discourage the 'hogs. Also my fence is surrounded by weeds on the outside making it harder for them to dig through the roots to go under. (Yeah, that's why I have weeds there...) At the gate, I laid deer fence on the ground so they can't dig under that part. It's now pressed into the dirt so we don't trip over it.
Nan
My garden is rather large and it cost quite a bit to fence it. At this point, I have come to the realization that the critters are going to get their share. I plant extra with that in mind. Doesn't make it any less frustrating, but that is just the way I handle it. I too left the wire fence untrimmed, but they still find a way to get in. I see the groundhogs daily in fields around my garden, but they have not invaded my garden yet this year-once the tomatoes start coming in, so will they.
Urbanheirlooms is offline   Reply With Quote
Old June 5, 2018   #22
bjbebs
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: May 2014
Location: illinois
Posts: 281
Default

I too do not fence and grow enough to share to a point. Unfortunately they don't play fair. At the first sighting, they're fair game.

For those that do use fencing remember groundhogs are excellent climbers. I've seen them go up a tree many times. Not sure how they would approach a floppy wire fence
bjbebs is offline   Reply With Quote
Old June 5, 2018   #23
Nan_PA_6b
Tomatovillian™
 
Nan_PA_6b's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 3,194
Default

They haven't climbed my 8' deer fence...yet.


Nan
Nan_PA_6b is offline   Reply With Quote
Old June 5, 2018   #24
PhilaGardener
Tomatovillian™
 
PhilaGardener's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Near Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 1,940
Default

I have an electric fence hot wire I can run along the top if they get ideas. It was the year they got in an ate all my heirloom bean varieties that I got serious about perimeter control. It wasn't inexpensive or easy.



Yes, the problem with live traps is that when you catch one you have to do something with it, and I don't want to pass problems on to others!
PhilaGardener is offline   Reply With Quote
Old June 6, 2018   #25
clkeiper
Tomatovillian™
 
clkeiper's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: ohio
Posts: 4,350
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by PhilaGardener View Post


Yes, the problem with live traps is that when you catch one you have to do something with it, and I don't want to pass problems on to others!
thank you. Here in Ohio it is actually not permitted to "pass along" nuisance animals yet people do it all the time... grrr! you must have permission of the land owner to do so, except for raccoons... you must kill them. that helps prevent the spread of rabies.
__________________
carolyn k
clkeiper is offline   Reply With Quote
Old June 6, 2018   #26
Gardadore
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Saylorsburg, PA
Posts: 261
Default

I have used this system for years after a local trapper helped me get rid of groundhogs. The first summer I used this kind of trap we caught 13 groundhogs! Last summer it was 12. They are quick and more merciful than the old leg traps we used to have. Shooting is too risky because you never know where a bullet might ricochet off of since the hogs are often next to our outbuildings when spotted. These are not for the faint of heart but they work and using the tool to set them makes it easier since the spring is hard and the tool gives you the leverage. We use the same hole over and over as groundhogs are attracted to the smell of previous groundhogs. Reusing a hole prevents having to search for the new ones which may be in an awkward site to get to easily.
Check out this site if you are not opposed to a final solution but don’t want to shoot or cart them off to torment a neighbor down the road!
http://www.setngotrapper.com/
Gardadore is offline   Reply With Quote
Old June 6, 2018   #27
JRinPA
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: SE PA
Posts: 961
Default

Groundhogs in the garden are serious. We usually get 1-2 young a year when mama chases them out of the den. The nearest farm field is a scant 200 yds and we have a pear tree heavy with fruit then, in late July or August. They need to be taken care of, as they are more destructive than anything else to a garden. They will get in your squash patch and take one bite from each and every butternut until they find one they like. Of course, they won't like the taste of any, and so will ruin them all.
JRinPA is offline   Reply With Quote
Old June 6, 2018   #28
Salsacharley
Tomatovillian™
 
Salsacharley's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: New Mexico
Posts: 2,051
Default

I ran across this solar powered pest repellent. I have no idea if it is effective but I thought of this thread when I saw it.

https://www.solarfairyledlight.com/p...-pest-repeller
Salsacharley is offline   Reply With Quote
Old June 6, 2018   #29
Nan_PA_6b
Tomatovillian™
 
Nan_PA_6b's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 3,194
Default

Has anyone had those sonic things work?
Nan_PA_6b is offline   Reply With Quote
Old June 6, 2018   #30
Douglas_OW
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: NJ z5
Posts: 281
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nan_PA_6b View Post
Has anyone had those sonic things work?
I have no experience with that particular model, but I did try something similar to this in my basement:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZIy0lRxvPY

It was worthless.
Every spring, I use live catch traps for my groundhogs. I then relocate the rodents, and I am usually good until next spring. I find that relocating them 4 to 6 inches is ideal, providing you go in the proper direction.
Be sure to either close, or lock open, your traps before sundown; it is a nuisance to have to deal with non-target critters in the morning, like skunks or possums.

Jim
Douglas_OW is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 08:00 AM.


★ Tomatoville® is a registered trademark of Commerce Holdings, LLC ★ All Content ©2022 Commerce Holdings, LLC ★