I harvested this squash before more of it could disappear into some critter's mouth. Does anyone have experience with having squash getting chewed on like this? It's in a raised bed in a property that is up about 12 steps, so rabbits are really unlikely. That leaves squirrels, rats, and racoons, but it doesn't seem like their sort of food. I'd appreciate any comments, as well as ideas for preventing this damage. Thanks!
Who's Been Eating my Squash?
- Thread starter Garydave
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- Mar 8, 2015
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- Location
- Mechanicsville, Maryland
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Vote for squirrels or the raccoons. Both can do major damage to veggies. Fencing is the best defense.
Deer are notorious for taking a bite out of things and then leaving them. It sort of looks like rake marks from big teeth. It may sound gross but you can try peeing in the garden somewhere close or pouring some out. Blood and guts would also repel deer but also attract predators.
I vote for deer because the tooth marks are the right shape for a coming yearling deer.
Thanks for all your comments. Deer are ruled out, as we live in the heart of Ballard where they are not part of the local urban fauna. There is no practical way to fence these raised beds on a garage roof to keep out squirrels, which can climb anything. Is there anything that might repel the local pests?
You can create little cages from chicken wire and just cover the individual fruits. I do that for seedlings and watermelons.
Excellent suggestion. We had about four squash that were snacked on, and that's about 75% of our production. So it wouldn't be a big job with so few to protect.