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Ray, North Dakota

Some of my farmer customers are questioning my ideas for a large mixed variety pumpkin patch. The main question that came up is whether deer or raccoons will eat and destroy pumpkin plants and fruit? Any answers? We have an uncountable number of each animal around here, that is why there is concern. They wreck sweet corn in a couple of days, but no one knows about pumpkins.

12/20/2005 3:54:24 PM

Mocksville, NC

we have a bad deer problem here I did notice when I use fish fertilizer the deer hate it, and dont go in the patch, my friend who lives next door to me has had a garden for 8 years, and the deer eat all his tomatoes, and stuff ALL. Last spring I gave him some of my liquid fish to use, we watched the deer stand at the edge of his garden, and ate nothing, he had the best tomatoes this year he ever had. My guess deer are not carnivore's Rog

12/20/2005 4:09:01 PM

Norton, MA

My guess is the deer smell it! LOL! AleX Noel.

12/20/2005 5:13:01 PM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

The raccoons here mark on their calenders what night to pick the sweet corn(day before we do). They don't mess with the pumpkins, besides the occasional fingernail marks. Deer on the other hand love the pumpkins when they are mature and sweet. We had one who would smash them open and eat the guts. She I believe is spending the winter in a freezer.

12/20/2005 6:08:41 PM

Ray, North Dakota

Well, I guess we will have to come up with a game plan on how to keep them out. Fish fertilizer, blood meal who knows? The deer population is unreal here, we have hoof prints in the snow of main street (our only paved street). What else besides fish fertilizer will keep them out? Do I have to lift my leg and mark my territory? lol

12/21/2005 9:12:42 AM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

I use a 6' high electric fence with 6 wires. The deer may test it out but they very quickly learn to leave it alone. I also plant alternate food plots for the deer so they can get something to eat without chomping on my pumpkins. Electricity doesn't help too much with keeping the raccoons out of the sweetcorn. They love that stuff so much they will take a little electrocution to get it. I found that sprinkling a little aftershave lotion around the patch will keep the masked bandits out. The problem is that you have to re-apply it after a rain.

12/21/2005 9:21:58 AM

Ray, North Dakota

what kind of after shave, you mean like aqua velva or something?

12/21/2005 11:11:09 AM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

Exactly. Any kind I have had in the medicine cabinet for a very long time, as I haven't shaved except for a trim in about 25 years. I think it is the odd smell that they equate with humans that scares them off.

12/21/2005 1:04:04 PM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

Try lating the fence down istead of going up for the raccoons. Have three strings 12 inches apart. Although I find it easier to buy corn from the boys down the steet. At $1.75-2.00 a dozen:)

12/21/2005 1:16:17 PM

Ray, North Dakota

Exactly on the corn, but getting back to pumpkins, deer will find and destroy a patch? How do the commercial growers get around this? The aftershave sounds kinda funny, I think my dad still has some old Hai Karate that I could use. lol

12/21/2005 3:14:09 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Why is this thread on "Genetics" & not "Pests"?

12/21/2005 11:11:21 PM

Ray, North Dakota

Who cares? I had a question and I asked it, and people are nice enough to help me. Why move a conversation that is already started? I apologize for not looking for the right chat room, I will be more careful in the future.

Here's a new unrelated conversation "MN Vikings SUPER BOWL CHAMPS?"

12/22/2005 11:13:20 AM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

Herbie the chance of that happening is about the same as me growing the New World Record Pumpkin next year...They will choke as always..

12/22/2005 11:33:32 AM

Ray, North Dakota

Wisconsin does not count when talking about the MN Vikings! lol.

Everyone have a safe and happy holiday. I'll be checking the threads while at the outlaws errr in-laws.

12/22/2005 2:52:28 PM

Ray, North Dakota

I received Don's book #2 today, and I see it deals with pests and wildlife. I'll look into while my kids are destroying their grandmothers house.

12/22/2005 2:53:28 PM

South Harrison , N.J.

My sister inlaw has been growing trees (oak,maple,others). The first year or two the deer would eat on the ends of the branches, hurting growth. She was told to hang a bar of soap in a small cloth bag on every other tree. After a rain the soap leaves a scent that the deer do not like(keeping them away).It has been working for a couple of years now.

12/22/2005 10:18:46 PM

Indiana

shotgun works great.

12/23/2005 9:58:28 AM