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Rocky Mountain Gardening

the trouble with squirrels, part 2

10 years ago

I wrote about this quite a few years ago. How an Eastern Grey Squirrel in the yard wasn't really much trouble. Oh, she built a nest in the tree and it blew apart after she'd abandoned it and moved back across the road. That wasn't so bad. She also ate the Alpine Strawberries that live in a few square feet of my backyard lawn - whoopdedoo.

Well, that was 5 years ago. Since then, the little peach tree has had a crop of fruit and I planted strawberries around the base of another tree in the backyard. Real strawberries! Not like the ones where it take a dozen to equal a teaspoon . . .

There is zero crop of peaches to protect this year but the squirrel got all 6, or whatever there were in '12. Strawberries?? I almost don't know what they taste like!

I chased her up the tree with the sprayer on the hose yesterday. I've learned to lead her or she just dodges out of the way! As it is, I don't think she gets any more than "misted." Chased her up that tree 3 times! She will make a rather impressive leap at some point when she decides that she has to leave the yard! After she'd decided that getting to those Everbearers was impossible, she made the leap. Then, I realized that the neighbor's tree, where she went, has a squirrel's nest in it!

I figured she was just an interloper but noooo, she lives here! I'm never going to get a strawberry! (The Easterners can come and take their squirrel back.)

Steve

Here is a link that might be useful: the trouble with squirrels, part 1

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Comments (4)

david52 Zone 6
10 years ago
I have ground squirrels. They have a condo-nest under the back porch where they've dug out an impressive amount of road base and gravel on which the big, square bricks lie. Last fall, I caught 5 with a trap going in the hole. This year, none so far, but they keep digging it out when I block it. I don't want to leave the trap overnight because i'll catch a skunk.

They are why I don't even try to grow strawberries anymore. And they are why I intentionally let a tomato out on the ground in the garden so they have something to gnaw away at.

I also have a pellet gun.
digit
Original Author
10 years ago
Moonscapes! Ground squirrels will turn their environments into moonscapes.

I probably had a raccoon in one garden a few weeks ago. An entire "sampling" was done. It even included dahlia branches!

My first thought was "Marmot" but marmots are terribly unclever squirrels. They may eat sprouting sweet corn but require weeks to figure out that lettuce is edible. By that time, the gardener will have harvested the lettuce. It may take a marmot 1 or 2 generations to learn that onions can be eaten.

I'm not saying ground squirrels are clever. It is just that they initiate bare earth campaigns. I bet they eat plants that are close to their burrows that are completely left alone if those plants are at a distance.

Bulldoze the burrows, David!

Steve
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cogardener2675
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try sprinkiling cayenne pepper around the area. The squirrels used to eat my winter sown sprouts .. but the cayenne pepper made them leave the entire area alone. It was funny to watch them hop, skip and jump out of the yard.
I got a big container at SAM's Club.
digit
Original Author
10 years ago
Well, there's an idea! Thanks, COgardener.

I have quite a bit of dried peppers. I wonder if "dusting" the tree trunk with it would result in him getting it on his feet and having problems that way . . .

A few feet up on the tree would mean I could still water everything without washing the pepper off.

Steve

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