How to keep groundhogs out of my garden

Groundhogs are rodents that primarily feed on plants, which means that your garden will be their kitchen as soon as your vegetables become green and ripe. Groundhogs eat a lot when you take their size into account because they need to deposit lots of fat for the winter ahead. This means that a single groundhog can completely demolish your garden if it manages to get inside, so it is only logical to consider what your options are when it comes to keeping them out of your garden. Keep on reading to find out several options to keep groundhogs out of your garden.

• Trapping and removal

If you don’t want to kill the groundhog but just want to keep your garden safe from it, you can try to trap it in a live trap and then take it far away from your property so that it doesn’t know how to get back there. There are many different models and types of traps on the market, so it shouldn’t be a problem to find the right one – just consult a salesperson so that you choose a trap of the right size. Once the groundhog is captured, make sure to cover the trap with a blanket or a towel so that your fingers are at a safe distance from the animal’s teeth and nails. Also, make sure to find the groundhog’s den that is most likely near your garden, and cover its entrances/exits so that you don’t attract another groundhog either.

• Disturbance

This is another peaceful solution when you want to keep a groundhog away from your garden without killing it. Here we are suggesting that you plant one garden for groundhogs so that yours stays safe. Plant a few plants that groundhogs love, such as squash or clover, and hope that there will be enough for your groundhog to stay away from your garden.

• Fence and scare

If you aren’t against harsher solutions and really didn’t have that much success with the previous options, there is also another choice that includes more intensive measures. If one of these previous tactics didn't work, it is time to try some other, more determined measures. One is to choose garden fencing. Of course, this isn’t necessarily going to be a successful choice, especially when you consider that groundhogs are great diggers – they will just dig under the fence and get into the garden. Another option is to scare away the groundhog with loud noise, lots of light or a predator’s scent around the garden perimeter. Groundhogs are peaceful and shy animals and they usually try to go away from conflicts. If you have a larger dog, this can also be helpful.

Go back to the How to Get Rid of Groundhogs page or email us if you have any other questions about How to keep groundhogs out of my garden How to keep groundhogs out of my garden -->