Contaier height or other means to keep away critters

11 years ago

We have rabbits chipmunks, squirrels and voles (field mice) that we have seen and probably moles. I have also seen skunks and racoons make their rounds at night. In past couple of years all the vegetables we planted in the ground were eaten up by some of these (don't know which). That was one of the reasons to move to building a big planter!

Now I am worried that 29" tall container may not be enough to keep these guys out. Can you share any experience about what height will keep them out? To be safe, I am thinking that I will have PVC pipes screwed to the container on inside and sticking about 18" and then wrap 1/2" hardware cloth (or chicken wire) around the planter and tie with zip ties. That would give me 4' height, (Will be somewhat painful to work with it though :(

Here is the planter that I am working with

{{gwi:27419}}

I am committed to eating at least a few tomatoes this season that I have grown! (Even though at the rate I am going, that tomato is going to cost me upwards of a dollar!!

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Comments (8)

NoRoom2Grow
11 years ago
You should be ok with the setup you describe. If you have a lowes near by, I would suggest getting the repellent spray and spraying around the planter.

Had similar problems. Ever since I did that they have been staying away my 5 gallon buckets and planters.. The peppers and tomato plants have been untouched.
rina_Ontario,Canada 5a
11 years ago
I would put hardware cloth or chicken wire on very bottom before filling up with the soil to prevent digging from the bottom (UNLESS YOUR BOX SITS ON THE CONCRETE OR ANOTHER SOLID SURFACE). I am not sure how large voles & field mice are, so make sure the holes are small enough for them not be able to get thru. Chicken vire is least expensive, maybe you can use 2 overlapping layers (on the bottom). Either sit the box on top of it or staple wire mesh to the inside.
Rina
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The truth is that if you are going to live in the country you are going to have critters. Fact of life. Accept it. ;) But that doesn't mean you are necessarily going to have problems. We are 20 miles from anywhere, in the woods, and have every critter imaginable. Yet we compost in both very large open piles, fence bins sitting on the ground, and large wood bins with few problems. Raccoons, armadillos, and possums may explore the piles now and then if we don't get the food scraps buried well in the center but they don't hurt anything and mix it up some for us in the process. And mice and their babies as well as packrats, groundhogs, chipmunks, squirrels, rabbits, and all their friends see shelter there in the winter and likely wander through them on occasion too in the summer but with no problems. In fact the only serious problems we have had in all the years here is deer eating the corn, raccoons stealing the hummingbird feeders, and armadillos rototilling the garden beds for us - not a bad deal but their timing is off. ;) Dave PS: rj - can't believe anyone would actually abandon a compost pile just because of some baby mice! They'll be gone in no time.
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Mangoes, and 'maters, and mutts, oh my! Hahaha. Florida mimi, my little Maks loves my cherry tomatoes, too. He can carry one around all day long with breaking the skin on it. He just lies to toss it and chase it. And he was fixated for awhile on a low growing Meyer lemon I have in a pot. He was SURE that lemon was his yellow tennis ball, and would come to a screeching halt every time he ran by the pot, so he could stare at it and try to figure out how to get it down. (Of course, Maks is a nut case who also buries his own pee by pushing sand or leaves over it with his nose. I've NEVER seen a dog do THAT!) Trini, I love the image of the bulldog standing on a chair, hoping to get a mango! Silvia, you are so right about dog breeds. I've been fascinated by them for years, because they are all man-made, and with the exception of the really wolf-like breeds (huskies, etc), are all so far from the original design as to be completely amazing. There is no other animal on the planet that has been deliberately bred and modified to such extremes as dogs. And each breed DID have a purpose, from herding & protecting the flocks, to protecting the home, to hunting via running down the game, scenting out the game, digging up the game and retrieving the game. And of course, some were bred purely as companions. Dachshunds were bred to dig out and kill badgers, which are pretty ferocious animals. And their hunting instincts are very strong, even if they are mostly used as companions today. It doesn't matter if they or their immediate ancestors have ever seen a "varmint" before or not. They just KNOW they need to catch it and kill it. That can be a blessing or a curse, depending on what they see as being a varmint. Mine go after my black racers all the time, and it's only been by my immediate intervention a couple of times that the racer lived to slither by another day. Cat person or dog person? Me, I can't live without them BOTH. (Three huge cats 15 to 20 pounds each, and two small dachshunds at 10 and 11 pounds.) Marcia (Kathy, we hijacked your thread a bit...but still, dogs CAN be one good answer to a critter problem)
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Cricket Love, believe me once it sunk in, I was happy my yard is so private. I probably would be in jail or mental hospital if the neighbors had seen me. I was devastated, crying, swearing, stomping you name it I was doing it. LOL I will wish you luck but be prepared. It is a fight, you have to be committed. They can wear you down. It hurts to look at your gardens all pretty and come out and it is all gone in one night. They survived they came back this year so I have been out with all my sprays and anything that I can do to have my gardens. Solid fence does not work have that on one side, Believe me they will jump. I have sat in my morning room and watched them flying over the fence right into the middle of my hosta bed. mosswitch is right groundhogs will eat your hostas. So I have double trouble. I constantly have had them eat a garden and I find the hole stuff it with used kitty litter top it off with a three bags of dog poop. I have a Mastiff so it is big poop. That keeps them out for about a month. I did not have the heart to take a pic of the entire garden but I took a picture of my Sum and Substance before and after. Just a sample to give you a visual of what to expect. Do you think you can take this? LOL
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Moz Tn
Original Author
11 years ago
I am not worried about critters getting to it from the bottom. The planter sits on the concrete floor, There is no space to enter the bottom area and the bottom is about a foot off the ground. {{gwi:27605}} This picture will give a better idea ..

During sprint, the rabit had made a home in our 15" planters and gave birth to 4 babies! I moved the planter to the woods, no idea if the rabbit found it and tended to its young ones. I don't really know if 29" is tall enough for rabits or for other rodents. (Also can squirrels/chipmunks climb on the wooden box? I know they can climb on trees, but they have many places to hold on to on the tree bark)
rina_Ontario,Canada 5a
11 years ago
Squirrels...they can climb up the wooden fence, I am sure they can climb the wooden box...
grosumvegs
11 years ago
Hi neighbor !
I've been lucky the last couple years and have avoided offering a buffet to all the woodland creatures in my neighborhood. In addition to the critters you mention we also have raccoon, possum, woodchucks & deer. So far... so good. The link goes to a site where they're making "Bone Sauce" to keep deer away from saplings. Might work for you as well. It seems that when i put in the ground to grow they're more likely to get eaten. When mine have been in containers there's no problem. If the problem persists I'd consider an electric wire. I started my tomatoes from seed & under lights for the 1st time this year & will have my first ripe tomato before June 1. Best wishes !

Here is a link that might be useful: Bone sauce video
emgardener
11 years ago
Yes squirrels will climb almost anything, maybe put in 4' solid walls around your containers, but that would block the sunlight.

Electric fence or a cat.
Moz Tn
Original Author
11 years ago
Hi Grosumvegs .. Thanks for the link. I don't have to worry about the deer though. They rarely visit my house and never the front of the house. Always around the back in the woods. I had the plant outside for a day and something ate the flowers :( Its delicate work, so I don't think its critters. Squirrels/chipmunks .. may be there is some spray for keeping them away. (However, this planter is next to our front door steps, so I am not sure I want to use fox/coyote urine ..
Lynne Reno
11 years ago
squirrels can be tenacious. We have 2 30 gallon plastic containers in our garage with wild bird seed in them. They both have tops that fit quite securely. We have had squirrels get in them repeatedly, the only way we have been able to keep them out is to put a 50 pound scrap of granite on top of each container. I wouldn't have believed it was squirrels if I hadn't seen them fleeing the crime scene several times

Contaier height or other means to keep away critters

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NoRoom2Grow

rina_Ontario,Canada 5a

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Contaier height or other means to keep away critters

Comments (8)

NoRoom2Grow

rina_Ontario,Canada 5a

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