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Chipmunks are devastating my garden. Help

Please, if somebody knows how to stop chipmunks from eating everything from seeds to fruit let me know. I have planted some seeds (broccoli, radishes, carrots, snap pea, peas, onion, spinach, lettuce, cabbage, garlic) in my raised beds. They make tunnels (damage itself) and eat my seeds. They have arrived two years ago when I started planting vegetables and it seems they are here to stay for as long as they have food. I have tried traps but boy are they smart. I want to do organic gardening so I am somewhat limited in terms of pest control. I also tried to spry cayenne pepper tea into their tunnels openings.

Help please.

Thanks,

Vesna

Comments (11)

  • 16 years ago

    What worked for me was putting a rat trap into a gallon plastic milk jug that had large windows cut out of the sides and then baiting it with bird seed sprinkled over the trap (dry oatmeal would probably work too). The Chipmunks either avoided rat traps with peanut butter or licked it off without setting off the traps. I had been using the milk jug as a bird feeder.

  • 16 years ago

    The only thing i can think of other than what has been mentioned above is either set out a plate of bird feed farthest away from your garden to keep them out or set up a motion activated sprinkler system (there are several on the market)allthough it might still be to old for that. Those are the only things I can think of.

    Good Luck
    and Happy Gardening
    Mark

  • 16 years ago

    pepper spray works well / 2 tbs of red / cayene pepper / 5 or 6 drops dish soap or murphys oil soap mix with 1 gal of water and spray around garden / throw some garlic out there too / worked on my raccoon problem

  • 16 years ago

    Thank you a lot for all of your suggestions. The fencing would probably do it. The only thing is that we are trying to cut the costs down since we have invested a lot in our garden this year. I think the chipmunks are making tunnels. I have not seen voles, but it could easily be that they do the damage.
    The milk jug is a very good idea and I will try it.
    Mark, bird feed is another good idea.
    I am so mad, they only eat the best (tomato, raspberries, etc.) And no matter how many I get rid off new ones keep coming. :(((
    Thank you all.
    Vesna

  • 16 years ago

    I have just made the solution of cayenne pepper, dish soup and water and have sprayed it around the bed. We will see.
    Thanks,
    Vesna

  • 16 years ago

    what about those rat poison cubes?

  • 16 years ago

    I was very successful in controlling them in both 2008 and 2009 using snap-style rat traps baited with a combination of peanut butter and birdseed. Sent 9 to chipmunk heaven in '08 and 13 in '09 -- all were caught in my 10 x 32 greenhouse. Alas, they still did considerable damage to many of my seeds and some other plants, and I had a couple damage things in the late summer/fall after I had quit trapping.

    This year, I'm going to start setting out the traps this week, BEFORE I start planting.

    One other thing I have found TEMPORARILY discourages them -- dusting the top of the seed flats with Gold Bond Powder -- I think they must find their food by scent, and either the scent of the menthol and eucalyptus oils in the powder hides the scent of the tasty seeds (corn, beans, etc) in the flats, or they just don't like the scent or flavor of the Gold Bond. Anyway, it does work, as long as you keep reapplying it every day or so until the seeds are well germinated.

  • 16 years ago

    This method is not for the faint of heart, but it is very effective and very permanent.
    The best way that I have found to control them is to fill a 5 gallon bucket half-way with water and cover the top with black oil sunflower seeds. Set the bucket next to steps or put up a board ramp to the top. Sprinkle seeds on on the step or the board leading up to the top. You won't know that they're in the bucket because once they jump in they sink and the sunflower seeds keep the top covered. A hoe will help retrieve them from the bottom of the bucket.
    I got 9 in the first week I put it out.

  • 16 years ago

    I hope you find a humane solution. Chipmunks are just toooo cute. And there may be helpless babies nearby...

    {{gwi:28164}}

  • 9 years ago

    When your tomato fruit is green, take the nylon mesh bags that lemons, limes, or garlic sometimes comes in and wrap them around each "cluster" of tomatoes so that the tomatoes are in the bags, so to speak. You can cut them down to size. The smaller the mesh holes are the better. Close the bag with a little wire bread tie around the stem being careful not to cut the stem. Rain and sun can get through, but chipmunks stop eating them. I put these mesh bags on my zucchini and cucumbers too. Only rarely has a chipmunk eaten through the mesh. This is cheap, and very, very effective. I am still working on a solution to get them to leave my squash seeds alone just after I've planted them. Once they actually grow a few inches, they leave them alone, so my battle is getting them to leave the seeds alone long enough, so they can grow a few inches.