How to Keep Groundhogs Out of a Garden

Groundhogs are voracious eaters and have never met a plant they didn't like. If you live in groundhog country and plant a vegetable garden, don't be surprised if you wake up one morning and find they've eaten your entire garden. There are some things you can do to protect your plants from these hungry critters.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Visit your garden frequently. Groundhogs are easily frightened by humans. Frequent visits to your vegetable garden at random times of the day might be enough to keep the groundhogs away.
2. Put scarecrows in your garden. It is best if you use scarecrows that make noise and move in the wind. You can also use other items that will move in the wind such as beach balls, balloons and pinwheels. Enough of these items in your garden might keep the groundhogs out.
3. Try other scare tactics. Other things that work well to keep groundhogs out of gardens are motion-activated lights, alarms and sprinklers. If your garden is a scary place for a groundhog, he will find another place to get a meal.
4. Use repellents. You can buy commercial repellents to keep groundhogs out of your garden, but a homemade one that works well is 1 tbs. hot sauce mixed into 1 gallon water. Spray the mixture directly onto the plants. You can also spray it along the perimeter of the garden.
5. Build a fence. If you decide to fence the garden to keep groundhogs out, the fence must be 3 or 4 feet high. Groundhogs are also good diggers, so dig down and bury the fence about 1 foot deep. An alternative to burying the fence is to fold the fence away from the garden at the bottom and extend it along the surface of the ground for 6 to 12 inches. That will prevent them from being able to dig under the fence.
6. Install a two-wire electric fence to keep groundhogs out of your garden. The bottom wire should be 1 to 4 inches off the ground, and the top wire should be 8 to 9 inches from the ground.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are trying to keep groundhogs out of a vegetable garden, do not use a commercial repellent that could be harmful to you when you eat the vegetables.
• If you use a homemade repellent made with hot sauce and water, wash it off the vegetables before you eat them.

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