Preventing Diggers in the SFG

No_Such_Reality 11/5/2016, 5:53 pm

I'm having a recurring problem in my raised beds. I have a digger. I suspect it's a skunk. No scat around to be sure and skunks are fairly prevalent.

Anyway typically in the fall and spring, particularly when I do a large turnover in my raised beds, I'll get fairly periodic raids of something digging up my beds. I'm assuming they're hunting the fairly prolific worms in the MM.

Anyway, does anyone have a efficient, and hopefully cost effective method to deter the renegade digger?

Preferably something easily planted and harvested through?

I'm six weeks into my fall planting/growing season and I don't have a single new start out there due to it getting torn up every week or so.

yolos 11/5/2016, 6:06 pm

I have the same problem. So I bought a Trail Camera to try to find out what is digging. I finally read all the instructions and am now ready to try it out. Once I can identify what is causing the digging, then I can decide what I will do to stop it. Maybe a Hav-a-hart trap. Sorry, I don't have any solution to your problem.

My extravagant purchase (I know).
Preventing Diggers in the SFG Trail_10

No_Such_Reality 11/5/2016, 8:15 pm

I've got a Hav-a-Hart up in the garage rafters. Previously used to get rid of problem Opossums couple years ago.

Learn from my prior experience. Plan ahead, setting up the trap, baiting the trap, catching the offender, that's the easy part. You now have to transport a scared or angry opossum, skunk or raccoon someplace else and release it.

Think that last part there. Still better than the alternatives, but requires a bit more planning.

JM2C.

CapeCoddess 11/5/2016, 8:54 pm

Chicken wire or some type of fencing that you can plant right througn laid on top of the MM may work. Trolley driver has used plastic forks sticking prong ends up from the MM with success. And there are instructions for a critter cage in the ANSFG books.

CC

**trolleydriver** 11/5/2016, 9:31 pm

CapeCoddess wrote:Chicken wire or some type of fencing that you can plant right througn laid on top of the MM may work. Trolley driver has used plastic forks sticking prong ends up from the MM with success. And there are instructions for a critter cage in the ANSFG books.

CC

The chicken wire cages work great for me, especially for climbers like squirrels. Plastic forks are a bit hit and miss but I do continue to use them. I've also had success with plastic hardware cloth all around the outside edge of a 4x4 box but critters can still get in over the top. It works really well for keeping rabbits out.

**sanderson** 11/6/2016, 3:02 am

CapeCoddess wrote:Chicken wire or some type of fencing that you can plant right througn laid on top of the MM may work. Trolley driver has used plastic forks sticking prong ends up from the MM with success. And there are instructions for a critter cage in the ANSFG books.

CC

has55 11/6/2016, 8:36 am

I've been blessed and never had that problem with the critters. Occasionally I see the cat do it thing in the garden beds, if I haven't put down a mulched or living plants as a mulched. We have tons of squirrels, but only seem interested in the pecans trees. I seen them get in my neighbors walls and attics. Anyone else in the D-FW area having challenges and what are you doing about it?

Cajun Cappy 11/6/2016, 10:41 am

We bought some lil green fence poles years ago and sue chicken wire it worked great the tops are kind of pointy and nothing likes to go over it. It stoppped kittys possums and coons.

No_Such_Reality 11/6/2016, 10:48 am

Thank's for the ideas. I don't think I need to close the tops in, I can pick u 4' wide chicken wire and string in through posts that I can stick in the buried seat pipes I have installed for setting up a hoop house on it. I can loop it around and have it hang past the box frame and have a little over 3 feet high. If an opossum or something wants to dive into the bed from the wall, I'll just deal with that.

has55 11/6/2016, 10:49 am

this may be helpful in the garden and home.

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