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Peanuts in my flower beds

sandinmyshoesoregon

14 years ago

I have the cutest little tree Squirrel ("ROCKET") that I have become great buds with this fall. He loves to come up & get peanuts (in the shell) from me & then he runs off & buries them. Of course alot of them have ended up in my flowerbeds. I don't expect Rocket to find & eat all these peanuts this winter so I'm wondering what, if any, effect they might have on my roses as they rot away in the soil.

Anyone know? Thanks!

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Comments (8)

Terry Crawford
14 years ago
Peggy, I haven't had any problems with throwing peanut hulls in my flowerbeds. I like to throw extras in for my chipmunks and squirrels also :).

The squirrel and chipmunk gang have been burying walnuts, acorns, and hazelnuts in my beds for years in preparation for winter, but I don't think they ever remember where they bury their loot. Come spring, I have little baby trees that have to be pulled. All that hard work and then you can't remember where you hid your cache!
-terry
diane_nj 6b/7a
14 years ago
They are kindly adding a teeny amount of organic material to your soil if the peanuts do decompose. No harm (except maybe for the digging) and no foul.
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morz8 - Washington Coast
14 years ago
Peggy, I used to find peanuts in my beds - an elderly neighbor put them out for the chipmunks. We have only a small population of chipmunks, no squirrels, but I can't be sure scrub jays weren't planting those peanuts :) In any case, no harm done, they don't germinate at least.

I do find little clumps of sunflower seedlings regularly in some very odd places and often in my pots. Now there's no way sunflowers are going to grow in a 4" pot already holding a plant or rooted cutting, clearly the chipmunk didn't think that one through.
sandinmyshoesoregon
Original Author
14 years ago
You've got to love them though don't you! I go around with my hand spade & a little bucket every week & dig out seedlings that are sprouting from sunflower seed I put out for the birds. I missed one & did get a great sunflower this summer.
Rocket is quite neat about burying his peanuts & seeds. He's a very busy little guy (at least I think he's a guy). He comes when I call him now.
ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9
14 years ago
Peggy, how wonderful that you've made friends with Rocket. We raised Sammie, an orphaned ground squirrel, and for quite some time after we released her on our country property she would still come to us and take treats from our hands and sit on our lap. Unfortunately she's completely wild now and won't let us approach, but we've had the satisfaction of knowing that we saved her life and she's back where she's supposed to be.

Ingrid
sandinmyshoesoregon
Original Author
14 years ago
How wonderful that Sammie returned to the wild like that! I want to buy Rocket a house, & a special feeder, & my husband is saying "NO". lol They are meant to be wild. He's right. But I can still feed my little bug. Now if the Jays would quit stealing his food.
Terry Crawford
14 years ago
Peggy, I love the idea of a little condo for Rocket, and of course he needs his own special feeder. He would love being cozy for the winter, I'm sure. I absolutely adore my critters; there's a white squirrel that runs around the woods by us.

Ingrid, what a sweet story :). I'm glad you saved Sammie; I love all animals too.
-terry
wesley_butterflies
14 years ago
Did you know that skunks also like peanuts as well as grubs and will chomp time to time on most any type of bulb but donot enjoy there taste. Again anouther favor kind of done as they dig they also airate the soil.

A squrill does remember where he hides his food they also knows they cant dig as well in a colder and harder soil

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