The best revenge is living well -- and little victories are the best!

Brava Susan! Good work!

Susan, if I had done what you did I wouldn't have lost a rose that I cared about a lot. Gopher predation here is not as severe as what you describe, but all it needs is one time and the damage is done. Congratulations on your hard work paying off. You deserve a victory!

Ingrid

Whooppee!! And now they're forever safe. The hard work is done, and the victory is won! Three cheers for Susan and the roses! Did you take a picture of that detoured and deterred gopher? Frame it.

Sherry

Here is a link that might be useful: If only sweat were irrigation...

Congratulations, Susan. You must be very relieved that all of your hard work is paying off. Maybe the gophers will tell all of their friends that the chow line is closed down and they'll find another gopher restaurant, far away.

Good job! Gean

We were there a few years ago, and it certainly has helped my roses. I am so glad it has worked for you too.

I can't say that for my bulbs, and am overwhelmed at continuing the process for bulbs as well as roses. I will think about this for another year.

Congratulations.

Sammy

Ah, Sammy, you are right. Not everything is protected, and I am going to be interested to see what they chose as their alternate diet now that they can't feast on my roses. I have put the hydrangeas into baskets and any new clems, and I'm keeping hostas in pots, but many/most of the "companions" -- achillea, dianthus, iris, geranium, daylilies, dahlias, etc -- are having to fend for themselves at least for this year.

Susan

Congratulations Susan! The varmints are persistent enough I often feel I want to shift my gardening efforts to growing things poisonous to gophers, rabbits, deer and intruders! I cheer your victory! Kim

Thanks, Kim.
Yesterday Rayon Butterflies went into its very own gopher basket.
Susan

Neat! The original seedling is planted in one in a cut down fifteen gallon can to level out the spot on the slope out back so the water can be controlled, making it drain through the root ball and into the hill. The feeder roots are corralled by the sides of the can on three sides, but can forage into the upper end through the cut down side and the bottom has been removed from the can. When level space is at a premium, you do whatever you can to allow things to get into the ground. I can't wait to see photos of how it does for you! Thanks! Kim

I do not envy your high-rise gardening challenges!!!! It's hard enough on level ground....:-))))

Susan

What are you using for the baskets? I use chicken wire. The problem is, the wire deteriorates over time. I worry about a few years down the road, it will be a free-for-all for the gophers.
Does anyone use something that will stand up better than chicken wire?

Thanks Susan, actually, I don't either! You make lemonade, know what I mean? Greybird, the deterioration of the wire seems less an issue here with the high alkalinity than in areas with less salt or greater acidity. I've dug up chicken wire gopher baskets which predated the current property owners, that's more than 35 years old. Plenty of time for me to enjoy what I'm putting in the ground. By that time, IF I'm still around, I probably won't care what the area looks like, and I surely won't be treading up and down this hill for anything. I'll be 92! LOL! Kim

Greybird, there are garden centers that sell "gopher wire". It is a bit heavier gauge (don't ask me exactly what the number is) and is a 3/4" mesh. I have found it at a general home improvement center that is near me, too.

This isn't where I get mine, but it gives you a good idea of what I'm referring to.

Here is a link that might be useful: gopher wire

Susan... I admire your determination and the glow of your victory.

Kim .. Your hard work in creating new gardens and meeting new challenges every time just puts me into a state of awe.

The garden books, magazines and websites make gardening look so easy, but it really is hard work and determination. It is truly the small victories that keep us working to create beauty in our lives that makes it all worth while.

It's nice to know I am in good company.

Smiles,
Lyn

A heavier texture of wire that we use is called "hardware cloth". We cut it 4 feet wide and 12 inches high.It works.
We use the one that has 1/2 inch squares.

Sammy

Gopher wire is hard to find but if you do, it is excellent. I bought a 100 foot roll at Martin Ranch Supply in Rohnert Park (near Vintage). I've never seen it at a garden center or hardware store. I think you have to look at ranch or farm supply places. It is cheaper than buying the cages, but a lot more work. I do both myself. And trap as well. If you are building raised beds I would definitely line the bottom and sides. It is much easier to work with than hardware cloth, which is stiff and does not want to bend in most directions.

As for taking small pleasures, this title attracted my attention. I have given this phrase much thought and it is my considered opinion that this is the True Secret of Happiness. We all have in our lives a mix of good and bad, though certainly not an even mix for all people. Those of us who enjoy the little good things as they come along and don't dismiss them because they are not fine enough get many more opportunities to be happy. In the end, it is the general emotional tone of our lives not the peaks and valleys that determine whether or not we have lived a good life. Instant philosophy at your service!

Rosefolly

Here is a link that might be useful: Martin Ranch Supply

Rosefolly, thanks for mentioning Martin Ranch Supply, because it is nearer to me than my other sources, but I have found the gopher wire also at Friedman Brothers (not reliably in stock), and at Harmony Farm Supply (always in stock). And, I think they carry it at Sebastopol Hardware. (You can see that our area is ripe for this item :-(((((((( ) I'm on my fourth roll of the 2' X 100' wire and my second roll of the 3' X 100'.....

Susan (who tries to take pleasure in the small things because the big ones are just really an accumulation of lots of teeny tiny ones....)

The best revenge...

Here is a link that might be useful: Stew recipe

I looked at the gopher wire specs and that of the poultry netting from True Value. Both are 20 gauge and both are galvanized for longevity. The difference is the size of the holes. Poultry netting is available from the 3/4" hole of the gopher wire to a 2" hole. Hardware cloth can work, but is stiffer, therefore a bit harder to work with and more more likely for you to cut yourself on. So, use all the "chicken wire" you want, as long as the holes are small enough to prevent the varmints from entering through them. Kim