Groundhogs, also known as woodchucks, can wreak havoc on a garden by digging burrows and eating plants. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to deter them from destroying your property. If these fail, you can have a professional humanely remove them.
Groundhogs dig burrows 10 to 12 inches wide where they hibernate, mate, and raise their young. They may live in the same burrow all year, or they may dig another burrow where they live in the summer and fall. The burrow used in the winter and spring is generally located in a wooded or brushy area, while the one used in the summer and fall is usually dug in a grassy area.
You can keep groundhogs from entering your garden and eating your plants by sprinkling Epsom salt on your plants. The taste will discourage the groundhogs from eating them. You can also soak rags in ammonia and place them around the outside of your garden. The smell will help to keep groundhogs away.
You can also install a chicken-wire fence around your garden. Make it at least three or four feet high to prevent the groundhogs from climbing over it. To keep them from burrowing under it, bury the fence a foot underground and bend it at a 90-degree angle pointing away from the garden. This will prevent them from burrowing under it if they try to start digging near the edge of the fence.
If these methods prove to be ineffective, a professional can remove the groundhogs from your property. Contact Anderson Wildlife Control to learn about our humane methods of removing troublesome groundhogs
