What did you do in the garden today?

[BReeder!]

I'm guessing I have a different species of chipmunks here in New England. They frequently climb fences and trees to get to where they want to go.

Our chipmunks do that too. I thought they all climbed actually, but not sure. We'r also have a lot of squirrels as well as wild birds that can get over any fence. I simply will try to keep out what I can, but I know something will get in there. The rabbits are a definite problem, but so are the squirrels. It is just easier to keep rabbits out.

That said, anybody have a solution for keeping squirrels out of the garden?

I certainly do not want to poison them. I will not go that far over squirrels. Netting everything seems expensive and cumbersome. Perhaps there's a flower they cannot stand stand the sent of? I would gladly mix another flower in with the marigolds wev are planning on.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Our chipmunks do that too. I thought they all climbed actually, but not sure. We'r also have a lot of squirrels as well as wild birds that can get over any fence. I simply will try to keep out what I can, but I know something will get in there. The rabbits are a definite problem, but so are the squirrels. It is just easier to keep rabbits out.

That said, anybody have a solution for keeping squirrels out of the garden?

I certainly do not want to poison them. I will not go that far over squirrels. Netting everything seems expensive and cumbersome. Perhaps there's a flower they cannot stand stand the sent of? I would gladly mix another flower in with the marigolds wev are planning on.

I've had some luck with the repellents, but not always. I did notice the groundhog did not like onions, and rosemary, lavender and mint seem to keep the squirrels and chickens away from the herb garden. Coyote urine may work for the rabbits.

 

[pennyJo1960]

We have a ancient apple tree in the chicken yard cattle fence around the garden
Deer go after the apples in the chicken yard leaving my garden alone

 

[WthrLady]

Good morning gardeners. I hope you are feeling better @karenerwin. With all these winter germs and viruses floating around you really need to be careful, eat well and rest. I wish you the best of luck with your career change @igorsMistress. At least the job market has improved somewhat from a few years ago. Good luck with the fence project @BReeder! I would go with the 2 x 4 welded wire, 4 feet high. A 5 foot fence will not keep deer out. Placing obstructions to prevent a clear landing spot will deter the deer. The hardware cloth may deter the rabbits, however they do make tunnels just not as large as the groundhogs. So chicken wire would be a little less expensive. I'm guessing I have a different species of chipmunks here in New England. They frequently climb fences and trees to get to where they want to go. The weather people are forecasting some wintry mixes later this week. Also have some colder temps coming back for a little while. I'm thinking of starting some of my seeds early as well @Acre4Me. Apparently I need to start the leek seeds now as soon as I can remember to buy starter soil. I have enough material to put up the tunnel row covers if the groundhog lied. This morning I spent some time designing my outdoor brooder and grow out pen addition. I'm going for a 6 x 5 foot area with the brooder box raised up 3 feet from the ground. This will be my final addition to the chicken coop complex. I don't plan on anymore building projects after this year. Have a great day everyone.

Deer can jump far or high, but not both. Clearing a 4 foot fence is NO problem. They will not jump over if they see no where to land. I use steel T-posts inside the garden to hold up cattle panels I use for row plant supports. On top of the posts I have inverted metal cans that rattle in the breeze. No more deer.
The burrowing ground squirrels. Well those we trap and kill.

 

[WthrLady]

Our chipmunks do that too. I thought they all climbed actually, but not sure. We'r also have a lot of squirrels as well as wild birds that can get over any fence. I simply will try to keep out what I can, but I know something will get in there. The rabbits are a definite problem, but so are the squirrels. It is just easier to keep rabbits out.

That said, anybody have a solution for keeping squirrels out of the garden?

I certainly do not want to poison them. I will not go that far over squirrels. Netting everything seems expensive and cumbersome. Perhaps there's a flower they cannot stand stand the sent of? I would gladly mix another flower in with the marigolds wev are planning on.

Nothing will keep squirrels out. They can chew through even chain link fencing and hardware cloth. Insane, and I've seen it in person.
I use a squirrel-i-nator trap and just stay on top of it. It is out all season.

 

[Acre4Me]

Squirrels are annoying. In our first home we had lots of old trees around-it was an older city neighborhood. Lots of squirrels. We grew a few things (garden was small), including tomatoes. About 99% of the tomatoes were damaged by the #*^%+# squirrels...but to make matters worse, they would leave the shell of half the tomato in pristine condition- this of course was the side we approached from when we walked to the garden, so we would see beautiful ripe tomatoes, and on closer inspection they would be gutted.

flash forward to now. We don’t have any squirrels that we’ve seen yet. There are a few trees, but we’ve not had any issues (yet) with squirrels.

 

[TropicalBabies]

Oh my gosh... BAD squirrels!!! My blinken feral chickens are saints compared to your squirrels. I'll shut up obviously things could be a lot worse... yikes!

Well gardeners, looks like Kauai MAY get some rain and cooler temps this eve and tomorrow. The Coconut oil has solidified to the consistency of a thin milkshake this winter and two light blankets are still serving us well for sleep. I'm hoping for some cooler temps for sure.

I am on my second day of sanding the railings down on front lanai. Slow and tedious but looking good.

My broody hen has flattened to a pancake and is back to growling at everything. Such a lovely little creature.

92 yo MIL is flying in from Oahu for a visit on Friday after the leading edge of this front passes. Nice lady but she likes to talk A LOT- I personally love the quiet so it becomes very challenging for me... but hey... she's 92 years old... I'll get over it. She has also lost a lot of weight from her already slight frame and has been diagnosed with dementia. Poor thing SIL says she has become very challenging. It should be a very interesting next couple weeks. She will share her time between BIL, aunt and us. Good to give SIL, who takes the brunt of her care a break. Good thing I have chicken/garden therapy.

Happy Tuesday all!!!

 

[Farmdog267]

Well, not that I beleive the rodent, but he might be on to something. Been in the 60's here the past 2 days so far but looks like the remainder of the week is wet some or all of the day. When I left my night job at 10:45, it was 46 degrees last night which isn't too shabby for metro Philly on Feb 3. Pansy seeds I planted on Jan 26 started sprouting yesterday as well and had a few more pop overnight.

 

[Farmdog267]

Nothing will keep squirrels out. They can chew through even chain link fencing and hardware cloth. Insane, and I've seen it in person.
I use a squirrel-i-nator trap and just stay on top of it. It is out all season.

My step mother had squirrels chew through the soffet on her back patio and side porch and end up in her attic. The chewed through good plywood making quite a mess. This has happened at least 3 times over the winter twice but once during the summer. Yep, repairs where made by a contractor she used which home owners insurance covered the cost on. Of course any wires at that point where also fair game. Not fun at all. Almost as destructive as the dang groundhogs but at least they live underground usually. lol

 

[BReeder!]

they would leave the shell of half the tomato in pristine condition

YES! That's exactly what we find. They also climbed our corn stalks last year, striped the husk and chewed every kernel of the cob, leave the bare cob still attached to the stalk with the husk hanging.

@WthrLady The squirrelinator looks pretty cool. I just looked it up. What do you do with the squirrels you catch though? Kill and toss out or cook (not certain I like the idea of eating local squirrel or not), or release somewhere (that may not be legal...)?
And would the squirrelinator catch mice and rabbits you think or is it not size appropriate?