DEVASTATION:

Last week we lost all of our garden vegetables, including tomatoes right before tomato season really took off. We had harvested several and were just getting our taste buds primed for homegrown M&M's ('mater & mayo' sandwiches).😋

That's a lot of money lost in garden supplies, (soil, gravel, plants, seeds, natural fertilizers and natural pesticides), lost food, plus many, many hours of time doing all the things you already know about.😳

ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT:

But... it's a part of life and gardening. You win some and you lose some, and through it all we have a chance to learn and improve. And we have a choice on whether to be bitter and angry, sad and depressed, or, else to keep on going upward and onward because what is past is past and what is, is.

Getting upset about it won't change the situation but it will change us and our enjoyment of each precious moment here on this amazing earth.🌎

ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE:

The other thing that MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE for us is gratitude. To remember blessings over bothers brings perspective, so instead of bemoaning that which we cannot change, we count our blessings.

So for whenever you'e feeling down and out in any way, this article on gratitude and gratitude quotes might help give you a lift. 😇

THE CULPRITS:

After finding the garden decimated, we watched our trail cam video and discovered the marauders, which you will have already guessed from the feature image at top.

You can see the video of the groundhogs in action in our short video in this article on What Do Groundhogs Eat?  You'll see that we made it short and fun to help lighten and brighten any gloom over the demise. 😎

NOT HARMLESS BUT DEFINITELY INNOCENT

We love "all creatures big and small", so even while watching the video of one, then two groundhogs devouring our garden, we had appreciation for the cute critters with whom we share this magnificent creation.

They have no malice or malintent. They're just doing what they were made to do.

LEARN AND IMPROVE:

So we move on and work on better planning and garden infrastructure for future. We may experiment with more "tribute" plants dedicated to the wildlife that we love seeing, (just not in the garden), that's away from ours.

We're not sure if it will make a difference since critters don't recognize boundaries of that sort, nor do they have any thought of "yours" and "mine". But it's worth trying.

We were thinking about a catch and release groundhog plan with a Havahart trap, but if there are little ones involved, we wouldn't want to split up the family, so we need to do some more research and learn from this community as well.

GROUNDHOG DETERRENTS WE'VE TRIED:

• lowering the lowest line of the electric fencing

• pee around the garden

• taste deterrents such as:

  • kaolin clay

  • soap spray

  • pepper spray

• marigolds planted around

But apparently, that wasn't enough, so we're back to more research!

YOUR TIPS?

Meanwhile, if you've had success in keeping groundhogs away naturally and humanely, we'd love to hear your tip/s so we can try it and share it with others who may benefit from it as well.

Wishing you great gardens and happy harvests!

💚🙏🏼😇

Coleman & LeAura

GardensAll.com