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Danville, CA (petman2@yahoo.com)

I was trying to decide how to cage from gophers if I decide to go that route.

One way is to build a cylinder down 3 feet or whatever and close it at the end.

Another way I was thinking of was placing say a 1 or 2 foot square of wire over the top of the planing pit and then mounding up another foot from there. That would be easiest to build and take care of. I was just concerned that if the tap root was big and long, that it may have issues going through the wire. If they are mostly a mass of roots then there should be no issue. I know that this leaves the bottom roots exposed, but with trapping and repellents, I should still be okay.

I have not grown a full sized AG yet so have no roots to compare it to or study.

Trying to come up with the "new best" way of doing something. I figure as a newbie I can't really go wrong and who knows what may come of my efforts.

Thanks

6/6/2006 11:36:28 AM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

Get rid of the gopher will be an easier task than tryingf to cagfe the root system. The Tap root can be 6 feet long and send roots out 10 feet.

6/6/2006 2:57:34 PM

Danville, CA (petman2@yahoo.com)

Thanks, trying to kill the gopher but always helps to have a plan B as well.

Deep and big....no wonder it is so enticing.

6/6/2006 4:47:07 PM

Santa Cruz, CA

We have gophers in our patch too and I've grown with gopher cages for the past few years.(2'x3) It's worked well for us in that no plants so far have been brought down by gophers. It's way too frustrating for me to spend so much time and have the plant go literally down a hole in one day. We may be stunting the growth of our pumpkins but I feel it is worth the risk. After our 1314 Beauchemin was in the ground a month this year, a gopher cirled the stump pushing up dirt every few feet around the cage. I think if we hadn't had the wire, the Beauchemin would have been eaten. Good luck. We have pictures of our cages in our diary under "creekside." Good luck!

6/11/2006 1:21:10 AM