Here, here. Let me cuss for you long enough for you to catch your breath. There used to be a post showing pics of someone covering their jugs with a sheet of chicken wire. I don't remember exactly how it was rigged up. Maybe like a raised bed.

I feel your pain. My problem is raccoons with a sense of entitlement. My solution this year was to move the jugs to the upstairs balcony, but of course that has created a new set of issues, and you may not have a balcony.

I'm pulling for you,
Seedmama

Kris: Just brainstorming here, based on something I did last year.

Can you put the clamsheels/containers in another larger container or even heavy cardboard box (with bottom removed)? If so, then try placing some screening material (very cheap at HD) around the whole box and secure with bungees. Alternately, you could place some chicken wire around the box. In either case, this would allow you to take tops off, but prevent access.

Last year, in a raised bed, I had this problem with squirrels. I dug an old baby gate out of the garage, adjusted it to fit roughly over the top of the bed, and put a couple bricks on it. Took care of that issue.

Some other ideas I've used (and you can find a lot of these materials locally for free): machine cloth, old gutter guards, trashed window screens, an old dog crate that I took apart (there's 5 "guards right there), an old sheer curtain rubberbanded around the box (works like floating row cover).

Don't be outwitted! You'll find something that works!

Prof

last year I got rid of at least 15 chipmonks in 2 days - the woman who lived next door actually fed them - so I am working on getting rid of them. Since it is rather unsettling for some if you want to know how you can search the pest management forum for the machine that will get rid of them forever.

Don't know if this would work for chipmunks. When I found many of my planted seedlings dug up last spring I put some plastic knives in the soil around them, pointy side up. Expect my problem was squirrels. When the plants were bigger an well established I removed the knives.

You could try putting a few plastic knives in the containers.

I bought a big box at Costco and also use them for plant markers.

I'm somewhat limited in my approaches here in DE, so I need to be creative in dealing humanely with nature's fauna. This year, I'm trying to have my backyard declared a Wildlife Habitat by the state--I'm pretty sure I meet all the requirements now (bird houses, feeding stations, running water, open space, trees, blah, blah.)

If you are using milk jugs... although this would probably work for any container... you could put your containers in a milk crate and then tie them together so they can't get knocked over.

oh that really sucks!! I am so sorry! I think you have a bunch of suggestions here. It stinks you have to so this.

I am already worried about the bunnies. I usually spread blood meal and they stay away but with a bunch of baby plants they might not be able to resist.

Karen

Can you get a cat or a dog? I'm not generally a fan of outdoor cats, but it might help. Personally, I'd be in favor of visiting the pest management forum. I have a great trick for getting rid of them, but not everyone would agree that it's "humane." They can be unbelievably destructive.

Martha

Martha, I did some searching and saw liquid fence works but it can be expensive if I have to spray it everywhere.

I am going to read the pest man forum and see what I can learn.

Bunnies are annoying in my yard. I love animals but they make me so MAD, stupid bunnies!

Maybe I can throw some lettuce seeds into my 2 neighbor's yards. Both do not cut their grass much so maybe the bunnies would hang out over there? lol

Karen

Before a cat came to live at my house, I had a chipmunk that lived in my front flower bed. One day my husband had the door open in one of our buildings and he went inside. I saw him go in and he hid inside. We found him several times but couldn't get him out. Finally he got into a place where we couldn't get to him. We were leaving town and I didn't want to leave the building unlocked but I didn't want him to die in there either. Finally I opened a window about 3 inches, and locked the door. When we came home, he had chewed his way through the window screen to make his escape. They might not work that hard to get in to your plants, but they can if they want to. Get a cat.

I have seen my cat catch squirrels also, but right now they are getting into my containers. Everyday they disturb the verbena and have almost ruined it all. I have switched places with other things, but that is the one they seem to like best.

Maybe you could find some old window screens. If you have annuals with open tops you could put them in cups and put one screen over the whole bunch with a rock on it for weight. I think screening is your best bet. You can buy a roll of several feet of plastic replacement stormdoor screen at HD for five something. That should be easy to cut into patches and taped on with duct tape. For small holes anyway.

"oh that really sucks!!" Ditto.

Wouldn't it make sense to provide them a constant source of food somewhere ELSE? Put a peanut feeder somewhere away from your containers.
Sorry, not a fan of eradication.

You might need something with smaller openings than chicken wire. Chipmunks can fit through it.

Anytime you put food out for a creature, it will attract more of said creature as they tend to invite their friends and have tailgaiter parties on the patio.

Hard ware cloth about 1/2 inch shoudl work box the containers in and put that over them, sevearl things you can use are rubber maid continers. Maybe milk crates may work with the cloth on top.

ML

Oh, no!! I'd gladly send you this neighborhood cat that keeps crapping in and around my children's sandbox/playground area. (Grr!!) We never had this problem when our dogs were still alive.

Now...if I can catch this cat, maybe he could help you catch the chipmunks. Nasty cat feces included with the deal. :D

Thanks all for your kind support. I must admit I was in a sorry state of mind yesterday.

Seedmama, thanks for the hand-holding and mutual cussing! Lots of good suggestions here.

When I grew my lettuce in containers last year I remember now that to make it chipmunk proof it also made it annoying for me to get at it too. *sigh* How could I have so easily forgot those critters?

Being allergic to cats, cats are not the answer. Neighbors have cats, and dogs - and they have as many chipmunks as I do anyway.

As for the constant source of food - point to any shrub with berries, any tree with seeds or nuts, any plant with a seedhead - can't get rid of that kind of food... in fact I'll keep planting more of that stuff.

As for the bird feeder - I feed when the chippies are dormant, over winter.

Thanks, docmom and columbusgardener for sending me over to the IPM forum. I found what I was looking for there and it already has worked!

I don't know if I'll get anything out of the clamshells that were 'tossed' -- I scooped the dug out soil back in and hopefully got it into the right compartments. Whatever sprouts in there, IF anything sprouts, will be not easily identifiable, I'm guessing....

Ah well, if life were easy, where would be the rewards?

Thanks for letting me cry on your shoulders...

Kris