My garden keeps getting wiped out.

[HollyinNNV]

Originally Posted by JLJ_

The semi-good news, I'd think, is that if the pictures you included are current, you may have more survivors among your garden plants than you think.

If it was my garden, the first thing I'd do is put something around each munched plant. I'd probably use 3 liter clear plastic water bottles with the bottoms cut out and the caps removed -- placed around the plant and pushed into the ground until they're somewhat firm, each topped with a gallon milk jug with the bottom cut out and cap removed, just sitting on top of the 3 liter bottles to provide partial shade and a little additional protection, while the plants try to recover.

Alternatively, if you have something like half inch hardware cloth, a cylinder of that around each plant would probably protect them.

Then you have to figure out what is raiding your garden. These days, if I had no idea, I might consider mounting a camera to see if I could definitely identify the invaders, before trying to fix the fence. But some thoughts, which may or may not be useful, about dealing with your varmint access problem . . .

If I understood correctly, you had put a netting "top" over your garden. If so, that should exclude most birds as uninvited munchers, and probably squirrels, also, if the top was remaining in place. If you have been finding the top removed, or battered down, the type of disturbance might give you a clue -- minor disturbances in the top would suggest some sort of squirrel/rodent, major disturbance and I'd suspect deer type visitors.

An electric fence type barrier may well be your best bet, if that is possible for you. If you sink a metal fencepost deep into the ground and run a wire attached to that near your charged wire(s), so that an animal trying to get in would touch both the grounded and the charged wire, it might well work, even in a dry area. But if you aren't accustomed to using electric fence, get someone to help you set it up so that you can ensure that it doesn't unexpectedly shock you when you're working on the garden. An electric fence charger isn't normally dangerous to humans health wise - but unexpected encounters with charged fence can certainly gain your attention.

As to areas that might need attention, for things like squirrels, including some ground squirrel type critters, mice, and some other rodents, that wooden retaining wall that backs your garden would be a comfortable roadway. I'd inspect the base *very* carefully for signs of digging, and tamp the earth along its base down firmly, so signs of digging would show up, and then think what I could do to interfere with its use as an access route. It might be possible to attach fencing to it, reaching up at least a couple of feet above the top. Chicken wire would work if your problem is squirrels, but if, as seems likely, it's a mouse-family muncher, a fence would need to be something more like hardware cloth.

Also, those rocks seem to be inside the fence, so not probably a route for initial access -- but once inside, mouse and vole type critters would happily build homes among them and sit there inside the fence, chuckling while you work on strengthening your fence.

All this sounds more complicated than it may need to be -- the essence is protect the plants you have right quick, then figure out what is coming in and make that access more difficult. There are lots of ways to do that besides the above -- and probably none that will work perfectly -- but perhaps some of these thoughts will help.

I've spent a lot of hours/days/weeks of my life working to enclose or exclude critters -- and often after much work it turns out that there was just a small spot providing unauthorized entrance or exit. But finding it can be a challenge.

Good luck!

Thanks for this comprehensive post. I have a few questions in response:

1. How much can a plant be eaten and still survive? Should I just wait 7-10 days and see if there is new growth? As long as the roots have not been dug up, is there hope?

2. Do mice dig up roots? I had a plant eaten earlier that was literally dug out.

3. Is hardware cloth something I'd find with gardening supplies or is this something special?

4. With the temporary water bottle/jugs-will I need to take them off during the day because my plants will cook? I'm wondering because things are getting eaten during the day too. I'm surprised that mice are that brave!

Thoughts:
Thanks goodness we don't have a deer problem. We saw deer once in the last 12 years of living here, so I think the likelihood of having a problem with them is low.

Haha-No, I've never used an electric fence charger. I suspect that touching it would get my attention. I'm going to the nursery tomorrow to see if there is anything fool-proof that I can purchase. It might be worth seeing little fried mice bodies!
Again, thanks for your time and ideas. I appreciate it so much!
Holly

[Bipetual]

Worth, that book sounds interesting. I was just reading about Pitcairn because Netflix put The Bounty on recently.

Back to the critter topic, I've noticed that people use blood meal to try to repel critters. But on Amazon, the most common criticism I see with organic fertilizers goes something like this "Before I used this fertilizer my plants were perfectly healthy. Then the blood and bone meal in this stuff attracted some kind of animal and they dug everything up to get to it." Although your plants look munched rather than dug up, it's something to consider.

Good luck. I hope you're able to salvage you plants. Your garden looks really nice with the stones and everything and I can tell you really put a lot of work into it.

[HollyinNNV]

Originally Posted by Bipetual

Worth, that book sounds interesting. I was just reading about Pitcairn because Netflix put The Bounty on recently.

Back to the critter topic, I've noticed that people use blood meal to try to repel critters. But on Amazon, the most common criticism I see with organic fertilizers goes something like this "Before I used this fertilizer my plants were perfectly healthy. Then the blood and bone meal in this stuff attracted some kind of animal and they dug everything up to get to it." Although your plants look munched rather than dug up, it's something to consider.

Good luck. I hope you're able to salvage you plants. Your garden looks really nice with the stones and everything and I can tell you really put a lot of work into it.

Thanks for reminding me about the bone meal. I have used it in my front yard around annuals and I know that the bunnies hate it because they stopped eating the flowers after the bone meal application. BUT-you are right that it is something to consider. Obviously it could be attracting the mice and I don't plan on using it again with my veggies.

Thanks for the nice comments at the end of your post. Someone in my family did not want to help me with my garden because he thought everything would get eaten. Boy has he gotten some big laughs out of my experience

[Keiththibodeaux]

Fortunately, I don't have anything eating my veggies, except for Leaf Footed Insects. But I did have a Fox problem once with the hen house. Electric fencing solved that problem, once and for good. Animals learn fast. I'd say go with electrics.

[Bipetual]

Holly, Sorry to hear you are getting teased! Hang in there and you'll hopefully have the last laugh.

[HollyinNNV]

Originally Posted by Worth1

There is a book called Collapse that discusses Easter Island The Maya, another Polynesian group Japan Montana and Rwanda Greenland, Australia, Pitcairn Island and so on.
You might like it if you like to read.
You might learn how to have a great garden where you live and not make the same mistakes.
The book has helped me stop making the mistakes I made by conservation.
Worth
It is about how societies choose to fail or succeed and how it happens.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...92885102,d.b2w

Worth,
Yes, I like to read. I am currently working on a masters degree in literature. My special interest is 18th century British literature. But, I try and read everything. I'm currently reading Pilgrims Progress, Ulysses and Lonesome Dove.

Thanks for the book recommendation. That is a book by the Guns, Germs and Steel author. I put it on my list of books to read. The synopsis I read looks intriguing.

In return, if you like autobiographies, I wrote a very long paper on an autobiography by a sharecropper's son from Georgia during the Great Depression. I had no idea about the horror of the sharecropper's life! The author, Harry Crews, is a grit lit/Southern Gothic writer and I thought his memoir was wonderful.
http://www.amazon.com/A-Childhood-Th.../dp/0820317594
Holly

[HollyinNNV]

Keith,
Yeah-I hope I can make the electric fence work out. We don't have foxes here that I know of, but we definitely have coyotes at night. They make a racket.
Holly

[HollyinNNV]

Bipetual,
Thanks for the kind words. I am (mostly) immune to teasing. But, I REALLY need to prove him wrong-haha.
Holly

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by HollyinNNV

Worth,
Yes, I like to read. I am currently working on a masters degree in literature. My special interest is 18th century British literature. But, I try and read everything. I'm currently reading Pilgrims Progress, Ulysses and Lonesome Dove.

Thanks for the book recommendation. That is a book by the Guns, Germs and Steel author. I put it on my list of books to read. The synopsis I read looks intriguing.

In return, if you like autobiographies, I wrote a very long paper on an autobiography by a sharecropper's son from Georgia during the Great Depression. I had no idea about the horror of the sharecropper's life! The author, Harry Crews, is a grit lit/Southern Gothic writer and I thought his memoir was wonderful.
http://www.amazon.com/A-Childhood-Th.../dp/0820317594
Holly

Holly I have read just about everything Jarid diamond has wrote.
The book you put the link up to looks interesting.
I imagine I may be older than you (56) I dont know.
I grew up around people that were share croppers and some were the Okies that moved on out west during the depression.
My dad lived in Bend Texas and he saw a family leave and head west during the depression.
Years later in the 70's we met some folks that were migrant workers back then and had ended up back home in Oklahoma.
One Christmas we met his sister and brother in law in Oklahoma.
They were from Arizona.
When they got to talking my dad found out that the man was from bend Texas and had left during the depression in and old beat up truck with everything they owned.
The people we met in Oklahoma met them in Arizona at the end of their trail.
All those years later my dad and the man met again.
I ended up dating every girl in the family at one time or another, two sisters and two cousins.

Worth

[Stvrob]

Originally Posted by HollyinNNV

....... Someone in my family did not want to help me with my garden because he thought everything would get eaten. Boy has he gotten some big laughs out of my experience

Looks like we have a suspect!

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by Stvrob

Looks like we have a suspect!

It really bothers me to see people laugh at others hard work.
Reminds me of the Little Red hen story.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...92885102,d.aWw
Worth

[FredB]

I have been having big problems with rabbits, and I've found that a product called "fooey" keeps them from eating the plants. It might also work for mice. It is a bitter extract from grapefruit skin, and it's intended to prevent dogs from eating houseplants, furniture, etc. With rabbits, you unfortunately have to spray it on every plant, because they keep sampling to try to find one that isn't bitter. It needs to be resprayed after it rains, so it's starting to get expensive here in Indiana, but I presume it doesn't rain very often in Nevada. You would have to stop spraying once the fruit begins to grow, but presumably the mice wouldn't bother the larger plants.

If you need to catch mice, a product called the CatchMaster Multi-Catch works well for me. I bait it with peanut butter. It's more expensive than other traps, but you can catch more than one mouse at a time.

[HollyinNNV]

Originally Posted by Worth1

Holly I have read just about everything Jarid diamond has wrote.
The book you put the link up to looks interesting.
I imagine I may be older than you (56) I dont know.
I grew up around people that were share croppers and some were the Okies that moved on out west during the depression.
My dad lived in Bend Texas and he saw a family leave and head west during the depression.
Years later in the 70's we met some folks that were migrant workers back then and had ended up back home in Oklahoma.
One Christmas we met his sister and brother in law in Oklahoma.
They were from Arizona.
When they got to talking my dad found out that the man was from bend Texas and had left during the depression in and old beat up truck with everything they owned.
The people we met in Oklahoma met them in Arizona at the end of their trail.
All those years later my dad and the man met again.
I ended up dating every girl in the family at one time or another, two sisters and two cousins.

Worth

Worth,
What a coincidence your dad experienced! I guess it was a smaller world then. My mom's side is from Grand Saline, TX and my dad's family were cowboys in Tombstone, AZ. I used to live in Temple, TX-near your stomping grounds. They sure have big raindrops in TX! Our family really liked Temple.
Holly

[HollyinNNV]

Originally Posted by FredB

I have been having big problems with rabbits, and I've found that a product called "fooey" keeps them from eating the plants. It might also work for mice. It is a bitter extract from grapefruit skin, and it's intended to prevent dogs from eating houseplants, furniture, etc. With rabbits, you unfortunately have to spray it on every plant, because they keep sampling to try to find one that isn't bitter. It needs to be resprayed after it rains, so it's starting to get expensive here in Indiana, but I presume it doesn't rain very often in Nevada. You would have to stop spraying once the fruit begins to grow, but presumably the mice wouldn't bother the larger plants.

If you need to catch mice, a product called the CatchMaster Multi-Catch works well for me. I bait it with peanut butter. It's more expensive than other traps, but you can catch more than one mouse at a time.

Dear Fred,
Thanks for the suggestions. I have done a lot of reading on mice in the past couple of days and I'm pretty convinced they don't have tastebuds. All of the university extension information I've looked at say that spray/bad taste repellants for mice are unreliable and there is no evidence they work.

I'll look into the Catch Master Multi-Catch. It is a bonus to catch more than one pest at a time. Thanks for that tip!

We don't get a ton of rain in NV-nothing like you get I'm sure. I live in the Northern part of the state in high desert so we get more than Las Vegas-but not that much.

Good luck with rabbits. We have the really big jackrabbits and cotton tails. So far, chicken wire has worked to keep them out of my garden-thank goodness. I know they can be a pain.
Holly

[HollyinNNV]

Originally Posted by JLJ_

Alternatively, if you have something like half inch hardware cloth, a cylinder of that around each plant would probably protect them.
Good luck!

OK, I made something!! Let's see if the tomato survives the night-