A Seed Saver's Garden

[heirloomgal]

I have used traps to snag the ground squirrels. The past 2 years this trap called the Squirrelinator worked very well. Could catching-3 or more at a time. But they learned how to grab the bait over the top of the cage . Soo I just got a new trap a Tube Tunnel,trap , made by the forest service .

Belding's ground squirrels (Urocitellus beldingi) cause extensive damage in alfalfa and other crops.
Yes, Belding ground squirrels cause extensive damage to crops, primarily alfalfa, and other hay and forage crops, by consuming vegetation and creating burrows that reduce forage yields and soil quality. They also damage irrigation lines and can destabilize farm structures. Damage includes reducing hay quality by incorporating soil into bales and increasing weed density by thinning the crop canopy.

Ground squirrels damage many food-bearing and ornamental plants. Particularly vulnerable are grains, as well as nut and fruit trees such as almond, apple, apricot, avocado, orange, peach, pistachio, prune, and walnut.

In gardens, ground squirrels will eat vegetables in the seedling stage. They can damage young shrubs, vines, and trees by gnawing bark, girdling trunks (completely removing a strip of bark from a tree's outer circumference), eating twigs and leaves, and burrowing around roots. Ground squirrels will gnaw on plastic sprinkler heads and irrigation boxes and lines.

Burrowing can be quite destructive. Burrows and mounds make it difficult to mow lawns and other grassy areas, and they present hazards to machinery, pedestrians, and livestock. Burrows around trees and shrubs can damage and dry out roots; this can sometimes topple trees. Burrowing beneath buildings and other structures sometimes produces damage that necessitates costly repair.

Ground squirrels can harbor diseases harmful to humans, particularly when squirrel populations are high. A major concern is bubonic plague, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestisand transmitted to humans, pets, and other animals by fleas associated with the squirrels. Ground squirrels are susceptible to plague, which has wiped out entire colonies. If you find unusual numbers of squirrels or other rodents dead for no apparent reason, notify public health officials

They have tunneled around the perimeter of my home , barns and out buildings. I spend more time trapping and tearing down their tunnels and holes than gardening. The pastures look like a patch work quilt and bumpier than Hell. No fun to mow the pasture like riding a bucking bronco. No Joke.

They can populate a few acres with 60 to 75 pups per season each one can birth up to 11 pups every 6 weeks. One an established population is in place they are very difficult to entirely remove. They have decimated major crops in Oregon , Washington. Utah, Colorado ,California , New Mexico , Nevada and more.

Wow, reading your post makes me feel grateful that, all things considered, the number of critters I contend with are very small. Of course, it only takes one to do significant damage but I can imagine what many would do. I have seen only one squirrel once this year, a very large black one that looked to be partly bald with patchy hair. My neighbour tells me they're a new & invasive species to this area which would explain why I have almost never seen them before. Shockingly, when I saw him high up on my pea trellis's, his mouth stuffed with pods, I charged at him shouting, and he looked terrified and ran away. I never saw him again; I doubt it was my performance but I'm glad he hasn't returned. A single squirrel isn't much, and I'm thankful for that! I had no idea squirrels could be so serious a problem.

 

[Shades-of-Oregon]

Wow, reading your post makes me feel grateful that, all things considered, the number of critters I contend with are very small. Of course, it only takes one to do significant damage but I can imagine what many would do. I have seen only one squirrel once this year, a very large black one that looked to be partly bald with patchy hair. My neighbour tells me they're a new & invasive species to this area which would explain why I have almost never seen them before. Shockingly, when I saw him high up on my pea trellis's, his mouth stuffed with pods, I charged at him shouting, and he looked terrified and ran away. I never saw him again; I doubt it was my performance but I'm glad he hasn't returned. A single squirrel isn't much, and I'm thankful for that! I had no idea squirrels could be so serious a problem.

Only in the last few years has our area been invaded by Belding squirrels. We have several other squirrels like grey squirrel, fox squirrel and chipmunks that like to rob tubers and bulbs from the patio pots. Also moles , voles , rabbits all the normal complaints that garden goodies attract. But none even the deer, bobcats and skunks have never been as aggressive and destructive as the Belding squirrels.

 

[heirloomgal]

That darn young orphan bear was back very early this morning yet again. He was trying to get at DH's new bird feeder (the trouble that feeder is, I won't get into it) he demolished the wooden trellis panel propped beside the feeder against the garden bed, which was supposed to keep the rabbit out. It didn't take much to bust the wood because it's old now so I don't care about that, I care that he pushed it down onto my bush beans which it was supposed to protect and tried to climb my bean trellis where the feeder was hanging.

To make things more hair raising, my dog got me up at 4:30 this morning to go out. He never does this, it was just a random thing so I let him out the back door to the sunroom. When he was done, I closed the glass sunroom door and then opened the patio door into the house. I was so tired and bleary eyed I forgot to close that patio door - I just left it wide open all night. The glass door on the sunroom is old, the shutting mechanism slips often and the door just clicks open on it's own, especially when it's windy. Oh my gosh. That could have gone so badly given that the bear was right outside that door at the feeder. DH found the door wide open this morning, I couldn't believe I did that. And the guinea pig cage is right beside the patio door. In hindsight, I'm amazed that he didn't work to get the door open given he's already gotten one of them and no doubt he could smell them. Bears have no problem with latches, we just got super lucky.

 

[flowerbug]

My main method of contending with the appetites of the chipmunks is to prematurely harvest my pods/vines before they dry down fully, and put them in my sunroom. I don't consider this ideal, but it seems to be working.

i think that is good if you have the space already.

i try to encourage open areas that the predatory hawks can use to get them.

i also do not discourage the semi-feral kitties from coming around and hunting and if they are around i often see them leaving with a chipmunk in their mouths.

if i do not keep the population down somehow i'll lose most of the crocus varieties and other edible spring bulbs. they also dig after certian of the lilies.

I've considered the hardware cloth @flowerbug, it's a good idea, being the only thing they'd not be able to get through, however it would have to be formed like a cage to be effective and that is just not feasible.

yes, it would only discourage them a bit until they smelled something on the other side and they wanted to check it out. as they are very curious and active creatures i do not usually have any shortage of them around here. sometimes we are overrun with dozens and dozens of them.

Weirdly, I only seem to have issues with this when it comes to later maturing peas. I don't know why. Perhaps earlier in the season the tail rodents have other, more preferred food sources or a less hibernation driven mindset. A factor not helping is DH loves to feed the birds. So, I can count on seeds being on the ground to attract these pests in the first place. ...

we have a lot of rocks and rock piles around so there is plenty of prime habitat for them here. obviously i would love it had they not put so many rocks around as decorations as they are heavy to move and trouble to weed around, etc.

 

[heirloomgal]

I received some beans from Spain this year that have without exceptions all been fabulous. I don't always succeed with these because they can take too long to mature. But all are growing and producing really well. However, one of them had a rather severe problem with cutworms and every single plant was killed - except one. Of course I worried about losing that last bean because I don't know if I can get more. So the hoops I jumped to try and stop the worm from getting that last plant was crazy. But it worked. A part of me will be relieved when this growing year is over because I'd like to be able to count my eggs.

The single 'Stripey Snap' has some good sized pods, and I am so elated! I plan to grow it again next year. It's gor small pods for a pole bean variety and I like that it's so different!

Another one from the Spain group. I don't know why I thought it was a pole, so I didn't wind up planting many but what I did plant is doing well. Next year I'll feel more free to sample them.