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Florida Gardening

animals in vegetable garden

10 years ago

I am dealing with someone eating my brocolli, lettuce, spinach every night- have sprinkled red pepper, cayenne pepper around and on plants- does not deter them at all. They leave beautiful tomatoes on the bushes- I am guessing a rabbit, rat, armadillo. Does anyone have any hints for me?? I want some homegrown brocolli - but my plants have been eaten to the stalks & then some. Now they are working on my lettuce

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Comments (14)

shavedmonkey (Harvey in South Fl.)Z10b
10 years ago
The animals are scared of us. But the food gets their attention. If they see us they run. And often, with keen sense of smell they run. So a little pee around the garden sometimes works. If you dare....
katkin_gw
10 years ago
I get coyote urine on line to scare away critters. Mine are raccoons. I think the company is Shake Away.
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carolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
10 years ago
What katkin mentioned has worked for me as well - but I think mine is fox urine for possumsÃ¢ÂÂ¦.

Here is a link that might be useful: critter-repellant.com
loufloralcityz9
10 years ago
I always wonder how they get the wild coyotes to pee in those little bottles?

MOO
ebackman
Original Author
10 years ago
I wonder the same thing MOO :)
I have tried coyote pee- did not work. There is a $45 plastic owl with motion detector- eyes light up and head turns- I am desparate- may give it a try!
ebackman
Original Author
10 years ago
I wonder the same thing MOO :)
I have tried coyote pee- did not work. There is a $45 plastic owl with motion detector- eyes light up and head turns- I am desparate- may give it a try!
zzackey
10 years ago
Armadillos dig holes in my garden. I think that would be a tell tale sign. A Havahart trap would probably be your answer. We caught raccoons and possums in one. Armadillos are hard to trap from what I have read. They don't like to feel the wire of the trap under their feet. You have to cover the bottom of the cage with dirt. They love worms as their bait. Good luck and God Bless!
zzackey
10 years ago
Armadillos dig holes in my garden. I think that would be a tell tale sign. A Havahart trap would probably be your answer. We caught raccoons and possums in one. Armadillos are hard to trap from what I have read. They don't like to feel the wire of the trap under their feet. You have to cover the bottom of the cage with dirt. They love worms as their bait. Good luck and God Bless!
brute
10 years ago
Armadillos aren't interested in your brocolli or any other vegetable, although they will unintentionally uproot plants in their quest for worms and grubs. Sounds like your troublemakers are rabbits. Unfortunately, it's unlikely that you'll ever be able to coax a rabbit into a cage trap. Same goes for armadillos. At least I never have.
That plastic owl might work for a while, but like every other non-lethal deterrent, the varmints will quickly get used to it and ignore it.
As I've said before, the only answer is trapping and shooting. It took quite a bit of bloodletting, but I eventually "cleaned up Dodge City" around here.
rene09
10 years ago
Probably rabbits, those are some of the things they like to eat. We are overrun with them here in a mobile home park. they eat my lettuce, peas, beans, pursilane so far my cabbage plants have survived by covering them until they were bigger.
shavedmonkey (Harvey in South Fl.)Z10b
10 years ago
A dog may be the answer....
brute
10 years ago
Yeah, a fierce, alert little terrier would definitely run those varmints off. However, rabbits and coons operate in the middle of the night, and dogs tend to bark at the varmints they're chasing.
Unintended consequence?
Extremely irate neighbors!
stuartwanda
10 years ago
Good chuckle this morning! MOO
carolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
10 years ago
AFAIK, rabbits are crepuscular (active @ dawn & dusk), not nocturnalÃ¢ÂÂ¦?

FWIW, UF suggests electric fencing as the only deterrent for raccoons.

(& still thinking it may likely be possums - they destroyed all my broccoli last season & unlike rats, left tomatoes alone - & they're nocturnal)

Here is a link that might be useful: Nuisance Wildlife

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