He's Back!
by Peggy Cox
I planted
marigold flowers with my peppers and tomatoes
this year. Mainly because the day
before, while I was at an annual street fair
in a neighboring town, the groundhog, known in
Whiting, New Jersey, USA, as Whiting Willie,
stopped by and dug a new hole, the first one this
year. He let his presence be known in June 2009.
He started a new tunnel going underneath
the place where I live. When discovering the
new hole when watering my container growing
veggies that evening, I filled the hole back
in, same as I've done many other times over the
years.
I went
out and bought a dozen red bricks,
about eight inches wide by close to fifteen
inches long. Laid the bricks in the
area that Willie has been digging out for
the past few years. Have filled his holes
and diggings in with assorted size bricks. Even put
dried blood in the area. Even tried trapping
and catching him, with plans to relocate him. Willie
is not a young groundhog. He's an old fat
one that's too smart to go into one of those
cages. He's no dummy, that's for sure!
Last year, Willie
took a few chunks out of my eggplant. He even
would eat the leaves on the eggplant plants. I
caught him in the act one time going after my
tomatoes. I was so stunned, I just stood there
and watched him doing so. Then, I relocated my
container growing tomato plants and eggplants. I
had them right next to the railings on my front
steps. He'd climb up on my front steps and climb
right into the 23 gallon plastic containers that
I use for my veggie garden. Another time, I
grabbed my camera and caught him snacking on
other greenery close by. As soon as the
tomatoes start to ripen I'd take them off my
tomato vines so I'd beat Willie to them.
This year,
hopefully the marigolds and the bricks will
keep Willie away. Had even talked to
the local game warden about Willie. He
told me that because I live in a senior citizens
complex, to contact them about Willie. They're
the ones who would put the traps out in the yard
to try to catch Willie to relocate him.
Everything that was suggested has failed to date
because, once again, Willie returned to dig yet
another hole.
I asked about
putting a fence up where my Mini Garden is
located, but, that's not allowed in the senior
developments. We have about four feet between
the building and the sidewalk where we do
our gardening and the like. Veggie gardening
is in my blood you might say. I really don't
want to fall to defeat by the paws of Willie,
the groundhog, as others have done. Next step is
to try the Coyote urine/pee to possibly keep Willie
away.
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