Well, THIS is a first for my veg garden

[Siwsan]

I thought I saw something that looked suspiciously like deer hoof prints in the back yard, but it's been YEARS since I've seen any deer in the area so I blew it off. This is a suburban neighborhood that is right smack in the middle of one of the major retail areas. However, there is a wooded area, right across a normally busy roadway, less than a mile up the street. My garden is surrounded by a fence, albeit not a really high fence. And although I'm not an expert tracker, they definitely don't look 'fresh', to me.

I guess I'll deal with the situation of deer in the garden, should it happen, although I'm betting it is much more problematic than dealing with groundhogs.

[tblue37]

1. The busy retail area is no longer busy, I assume. nt

[Siwsan]

3. I'm assuming not

The only time I've been out is early in the morning, to get groceries during the 'vulnerable shoppers' hour.

[Kali]

2. definitely not fresh

I am not sure which would be harder, I think a strand or two of electric would keep the deer off, diggers take more work in my opinion. I don't have ground hogs but I have gophers and the cats can't keep up with the bastids.

[Siwsan]

4. It was either flooded burrows or feral cats that kept the groundhogs at bay, last year

I didn't see a single one. There's only one spot where they ever try to dig beneath the fence, so I started putting up a curtain of black landscaping fabric along the fence to block the view of the garden from that part of the yard. And, of course, I reinforced where they were getting in. It seemed to do the trick.

Someone also told me to put shavings from a bar of Irish Spring soap around the fence line, Apparently groundhogs and rabbits HATE the smell of Irish Spring soap.

[handmade34]

5. my daughter in Michigan

suburban area near East Lansing, has a major problem with deer... in the summer when she calls her constant complaint is the deer eating all her flowers and vegetables she hasn't found a solution to the problem

here in rural Vermont, the deer stay in the woods but the fox and bear are in my yard everyday the fox eats my chickens and the bear gets into anything that isn't locked down... I use electric fence around my bee hives

I have a small honey stand (with a small refrigerator in it) and last night the bear tried but couldn't get the refrigerator open... left dirty paw prints all over it ugh! tonight the electric fence is going up around the honey stand as well

[Siwsan]

6. I haven't had any deer nibbling on the flowers, so maybe in was a one-off visit

Hopefully, anyway.