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Pittsburgh (North Hills), PA

This is my first year growing pumpkins - they were doing great until something got into them and gnawed at them. 3 or 4 of the larger ones only have small gnaw marks but smaller ones were eaten completely. Many of the vines are bent, broken, or smashed.

Do I quit now or is there a way to save the larger ones? They were doing great - larger than a beach ball and my daughter loves them. I'll try anything to save them but don't know where to start. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

7/29/2008 11:18:30 AM

southwest MO

Time to make ground hog compost...

Ingredients - 1 large compost pile and 1-10 groundhogs.

Procedure: Get your compost pile good and hot. add ground hogs to center of pile as they become availiable.

Hints: Large box trap with apples -or- 220 conibear over den hole -or- .22 mag are some ideas to get main ingredients for compost.

Compost this through the fall and cover during winter. Add compost to patch in early spring. Nothing will green things up like cured ground hog compost!!

By the way the above recipe works well for racoons, oposums, armadilos, rabbits, squirels, rats and mice... Get creative.

7/29/2008 12:21:04 PM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

I know what your are going through. The little finks ate 3 off the main on one of our best plants and damaged 2 more on another. The electric fence shorted out. We fixed fence,put the pumpkin remains outside the fence and sprayed fox urine around. That usually scares them off.
We will also use the 12 ga. and .22 mag treatments, and maybe some gas bombs down the burrows.

7/29/2008 1:39:27 PM

Pittsburgh (North Hills), PA

Thanks for the advise - I'll have a better fence next year - electric fence is out as well shooting them as I live in a plan of homes with tons of kids that cut through the woods -

I'm leaving the damaged ones alone - maybe they'll make it but...I'm fixing the fence the best I can and cut off the eaten ones ... mixing up a nice bit of poisen with pieces of pumpkin - maybe that will work maybe get a deer or too in the process -

Love this web site - lots of great info - thanks again

7/29/2008 1:57:58 PM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

If you quit the ground hogs around the world will rejoice, then they will move on to the next pumpkin grower. Build up an arsenal and declare war..They are not that smart after all they live in a dirt hole.

7/29/2008 1:59:14 PM

Reed Point Montana

how about groundhog stew? dont let some kids discourage you away from shooting a garden pest, why not show them how to shoot (never too young to learn) NRA forever

~mid~

7/30/2008 1:47:21 AM

Long Island,New York

If I had to guess I'd bet its a combination of both deer and woodchucks. never known a woodchuck to smash vines and break stuff....just eat and eat and eat... Deer will roll over, smash, hoff, and step all over vines etc...and a small herd passing through will wipe you out. Damage in one night tells it all.........woodchucks do damage every day or every other...just keep comming back

7/30/2008 6:32:56 AM

Garden State Pumpkins

I use both deer fence and electric. What I found was the deer fence never kept the deer out. It's a nylon mesh type stapled to 8 foot posts. That's the outside fence...Inside I use a Kencove 28 inch high electric fence...the combo keeps the deer and woodchuck away...for some reason the deer don't want anything to do with the electric fence. the nylon fence is a way of making sure none of the neighborhood kids get to close to the electric fence. although the older guys come down and touch it on purpose..LOL

7/30/2008 6:56:54 AM

Clayton, Ohio, USA

We used to fight these things on the farm. They could defoliate a huge area of a bean field in no time and they are prolific breeders. No fence is gonna keep 'em from what they want - food and lots of it. You'll have to shoot, trap, and gas them if you want to control them. I'm not a gun enthusiast or a hunter, I don't like killing animals. I'm just stating the facts.

7/30/2008 10:50:45 AM

Columbus,ohio

try have-a-heart traps..it is what iv'e heard

7/30/2008 12:11:26 PM

Pittsburgh (North Hills), PA

Thanks for all of the feedback. I found a small hole in the deer netting and fixed that - also put a have-a-heart trap up - put the pumpkin that was eaten in it for bait - so far no luck but it's been raining most of the day.

7/30/2008 12:56:16 PM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

Red fox urine works as a repellant. Poison smoke bombs can work if you can find the den. .22 magnum works well if it is legal where you live. One shot and they flop over and quivver.

7/31/2008 10:44:53 PM

Cochecton, NY

A few weeks ago I trapped 2 of them in two days using conabear traps. Not sure if I spelled that right or not. You can pick these things up at gander mountain, bass pro shops or any other outdoor shop. Set the trap by the hole block the sides so they have to go through and blamo!!! Trap closes down on the neck ending any chance of escape. They also work 24 hours a day! No need to suit up like John Rambo and wait for them. And as for the poison smoke bombs, that could be like agent orange and have ill effects on your plants.

8/1/2008 6:24:00 AM