Possible critter cage plus trellis solution?

This is my first summer experience with a square foot garden. Built 2 critter cages to cover a 4 by 8 foot bed. Then added a trellis which is four foot wide and currently has one tomato plant (with 12 toms so far), 2 cucumber plants, and 3 pole bean plants. I have every imaginable wild critter coming through the property, bunnies, cats, chipmunks, birds, raccoons, possum, deer, and coyote.

This is veggie garden war! Came up with a fake extension of sfg bed using cinder blocks, so I could slide both critter cages to the left, away from the trellis. But of course now the trellis is exposed right? Took two green u - posts and again made a fake extension, this time to the right of the garden, about two feet out. Then wrapped 4 ft tall chicken wire from front side of critter cage, around the u - posts to the back of the critter cage and added mini bungee cords to let myself in and out of the trellis area. Wallah, trellis is at least horizontally protected. Then there is the top to be concerned about. The birds could still fly down and deer could reach over..... placed another small piece of chicken wire over the top of exposed area and now nothing gets in. I admit this is not a pretty photogenic solution! So far it is working and have eaten the veggies without any help from God's blessed creatures. I am going to try and post a photo soon, maybe someone else can give me a better idea??

I've been battling this raccoon all summer. I've tried this spray that says it repels all animals. As soon as I sprayed it, my cats were licking it off the plants. It didn't work as promised,lol. The way my planters are set up, I can't do much as far as covering them or fencing them in. But, I've learned a lot, so next year will be different.



Good for you on figuring out how to prevent the critters from getting to your veggies. I don't care how unphotogenic it is, I'd love to see a picture of it. I'm always trying to figure out how to get one up on that raccoon.

Stripesmom -- Raccoons are too much! I suspect they ate my baby pondfish and left the half eaten cadavers next to the pond, uggh! The fish were kinda like pets because they ate out of my hand, bummer, next came the black plastic netting to cover the pond....not pretty, but functional.



I wrote down Boffers notes to post a picture and still having trouble.. I will keep trying though.



How about another raccoon story? My husband went up to the barn loft and found 4 baby raccoons running up and down the hay bales, it was like romper room up there till he chased them down the stairs. Then big momma reared up on her back feet -- to fight?? So hubby took a shovel to protect himself and she leaped over a bale of hay not knowing the flooring ended and down she flew, 13 feet, landing on a cement padded floor. She didn't splat.. she was dazed and was quickly chased out the barn by one of my llamas. She lived another day, but hubby says he has not seen her or her babies since.

llama mama, I love the raccoon story! I hate to admit it, but do you remember the old Bugs Bunny cartoon where Elmer Fudd would sing "kill the wabbit"? I've been substituting raccoon for wabbit in my head. So far, I've not killed it or plan on killing it, but am coming to the end of my rope with this. It's put a big damper on my fun in the garden.



Here's how I post a picture. Say I want to post a picture here on this post, I look up at the icons above where I'm writing. The 7th in from the right side looks like a square with another square in front of it. I click on that and it says browse to the right, so I click on browse and choose a picture to display. Then click on host it and wait for it to upload. There you get that image of the three lines of letters and numbers, click on the middle one and it will turn blue. Hold down the Ctrl button and then push the c button on your key board. Then click on the bottom of the box that says upload. Then again click on the icon above that that looks like a picture with another picture over it. In the place you want the picture on your post, click there and while holding down the Ctrl button also push the v button. Voila! You will now see what I see in the evening past my garden. Or whatever picture you want to display, lol.

Here is the picture. Starting from left side -- Cinder blocks to the left "extend" the bed (rocks are probably overkill as raccoon deterrent). On the right side you should see 2 green posts. Chicken wire wrapped all around from front of critter cover, around the green posts, to the back of the critter cover and attached with little bungee cords. Top of trellis has a piece of chicken wire to keep out birds and deer....I hope! Outside the box I move around a couple of shingles around the box to keep down weeds.



There it is -- not pretty but functional.

Thank you so much for the information and picture ! It looks so very peaceful !

Exactly what I crave at this stage of life. I consider SFG and my llamas food for the soul.



llama momma

Correction, I do Not eat my llamas

I would not have thought you'd eat your llama's, since your their mamma, lol. Llama's seem like big old lap dogs that want to protect what ever is their family. I have no idea what they are like, but they seem like great companions.



I have wanted to have chickens and goats. Not for eating, but for the eggs, milk and fertilizer. It would be a dire situation where I'd eat an animal that I named, loved and cared for.



Glad I could help. Your garden looks great! Good for you on your endeavors. There is no over kill when it comes to raccoons. They are like little bears that will invade and over come. I think the reason I've had so many problems is because I started a compost pile and one day, I put a cherry tomato in it that was half eaten by a bug. I think the coon ate that tomato and figured out that tomatoes are food and then, started to eat my garden tomatoes. I'd not had any problems before that. Secretly, I like raccoons, but I don't want to feed them. Well, not anymore than I have already.

Llama Mamma! :lolsignwave:

I've been fighting squirrels and chipmunks, too. I'm trying to avoid an SFG Thunderdome, but it may just come to that someday. :\

Bookemdano
Since starting that thread 2 years ago I stopped putting the wire cage around and over the trellis. I sprinkle Deer Away, have it in a spray form and granules, ooh my it is stinky stuff. But it has worked. My barn cats even stay away from the exposed trellis too. The product has coyote urine in it.