Monday, February 14, 2011

Groundhog Protection


This is the cage we built to keep groundhogs out of our raised bed. I call it Botsford's Incarcitorium For Wayward Produce. It's made of PVC and chicken wire, and was both more expensive and more complicated to make than I anticipated. I don't remember exactly but I think it might have been around $50, and it took all day Sunday pretty much to put it together. I had planned to do it myself but wound up involving the husband because it was so tedious and time consuming. Thanks Wyatt! I consider your help and patience a fine Valentine's Day present.

When we were thinking about moving here we drove by frequently to see what was going on, and one thing we always saw was groundhogs hauling ass out of the backyard when we pulled up. Our neighbor on the lot behind us said he's trapped and released all but one, but when that one wakes up this spring it's going to be looking to reproduce. In my experience, battling groundhogs is like playing Whack-A-Mole. As soon as you beat one down another one arrives to take its place.

They're cute though. I'm hoping this cage will take the contention out of my future relationships with the neighborhood groundhogs. And squirrels. And cats. Our yard is full of cat shit. The neighborhood's also got a robust population of roaming, fertile cats. I wonder how much good fencing in the entire yard would do to reduce the catshit problem. And it is a problem. Gets all intimate with the treads in your shoes. Or just lies there hidden, but putrid, in the grass making you paranoid that you've picked up a shoefull of it.

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