Foxes can be really smart. May be an electric wire at their height.

I will say what I said about groundhogs:
get a dog. One known for varmint capabilities. (Small-fox terrier, westies, if you can go medium-airedale, border collie, cur) I have been so surprised since joining the forum the issues folks have with varmints generally-I guess having had dogs as long I have been gardening, I have never had these extra issues in addition to the bugs and fungi!
The only time i ever had issues with animals in the garden, I mean real issues, was when some guy's "pet wolves" watched me tenderly plant raspberry bushes all day and later that night tunneled under : a tin sheet floor, a chain link fence buried a foot deep, and a six inch hot wire to come check them out, and naturally, dig each plant up.
Wild animals WILL find a way into an unprotected place if they really want to-you simply must have a way to either drive them out or make them avoid it in the first place-a dog is the best thing going, IMO. Don't be scared by people who insist that your dog will be torn to shreds by a killer groundhog or ferocious fox-choose a breed known for doing this work, and they do just fine.

I agree with you, Fox are cute and they don't do terrible damage as ground hogs do. So I generally don't bother with them. But sounds like you did have a lot of troubles with them. I would say the easiest way is to trap them and take them away to a far away place. They are very easy to trap, many times in the past I set up traps for ground hogs but end up trapping a fox at night. A good slice of cantalop or even a nice piece of fried chicken are good bait. You might end up trapping a raccon with these baits though.

Personally I would kill them if they are worrying you. Trap them and move them and you are giving someone else YOUR problem. They do indeed carry Rabies. You work hard on your garden and should expect to have to deal only with the bugs and nasty fungi. Foxes are not included. Whack 'em

I have 2 Australian Shepherd mix dogs, but they are my babies. I couldn't possibly let a dog fight a wild animal. I couldn't bare it if they got hurt. I am trying the fence thing and I do let the dogs wander around the garden and perrimeter with me doing their business and dropping fur, so I think this helps. But we have lost some stuff this year too.

Susan in NC

I am suprise you organic people haven't suggested a trap crop. I thought that was one of your basic techniques. I would build a hen house so your fox will stay out of your garden.

Susan, I doubt that a single fox or even a coyote would care to go up against two dogs. They are opportunist(SP)looking for an easy no stress meal. Two barking dogs will not be considered an invitation to dine. On the other hand I was out the other night with a flashlight picking slugs and shined a Yote and the damn thing started right toward me until I gave it the Hey yell and then it just went off into the woods. Go figure

I didn't know fox ate spinach? Are you sure it is fox dung you are seeing? What do you fertilize with?

On the positive side, if you have fox you shouldn't have a problem with woodchucks, rabbits, or other rodents.

Got me curious now cuz I'd love to have fox.
Oh well,
Gumby_CT

Here is a link that might be useful: What Foxes Eat

LOL, that's all I need, a chicken coop! I doubt it would help, though. They really aren't eating my garden as much as playing with it. They're pups, after all. Picture dog puppies, but much more intense... They are still in the pre-teen or early teen stage - pouncing on each other, throwing leaves up in the air to chase, chewing in sticks, etc. I probably shouldn't have used the term "eaten" for the spinach plant. Shreaded might have been more appropriate. It was completely destroyed, but I'm not sure any of it was actually missing, just spread everywhere... It was just another toy to them...

Unfortunately, they won't mess with the resident woodchuck, but they are hopefully wiping out the vole population. I see them pounce in the grass quite often.

I'm just using commercial compost to amend the soil - we have great soil and so many four legged "friends" that I'm afraid to use much else... I'm even being very careful about a regular compost pile - greens only at this point.

Sue

Gotcha,
Playful kind of mischievous but destructive? I wonder what attracts them to play in the garden? Cool.

Yea they should keep the vole population in check. Why won't the mess with the Woodchuck?
Gumby_CT

You could try shooting them with BBs. If you pump the pellet gun about 1/2 way, the BB would sting but not really injure. Foxes are smart and that should teach them. If it doesn't, you could always pump the pellet gun a few more times. So far, this is working for keeping groundhogs out of my garden. It helps that groundhogs are daytime critters.

My family were all subsistence farmers and as hottomato suggested they relied upon dogs for protection from most varmints but foxes were their biggest concern. Foxes was one of the few things they would attempt to shoot, gun shells costing money. Traps were available but they considered foxes too smart for them to be of much use.

Additionally you have the problem that dogs must be trained. It is not good to have a garden guard dog watching TV from your sofa and sleeping on a quilt beside your bed - or in your bed.

Whoa nellie!
Careful on shootin' them foxes! In lots of states that ain't a "varmint" but a 'furbearer' and you'll need a license to even pick a dead one up off the side of the road! (please don't ask how i came to know this...)
Sounds like you've got a pair raising a den of pups right close to your garden. It's their nursery. I think your garden is toast this summer.

There were foxes once near our garden. I miss them -- they view woodchuck babies as a delicacy. My guess is that if they stay around, you will notice a decline in the local woodchuck problem next spring. Compared to woodchucks, I'd take them in a second. (The probably won't take on a full grown 'chuck.)

If their activities are causing problems with a particular crop, I might make a temporary "fence" of stakes and bird netting or the like -- easy to set up and likely to deter the pups from playing in a particular area if they are not determined to eat a particular vegetable, in which case I think they would outsmart you.

And if they do go after something that you can do without, you might leave it as a "trap crop." In my garden, protected only by a rabbit fence, the deer eat the radicchio I try to grow but leave the other leafy vegetables -- ordinary lettuce, kale, chard, beet greens, squash and cucumber vines, herbs. (Are they Italian deer or do they just have discriminating palates for the more expensive greens?) So I just let them have the radicchio, and so far, so good (crosses fingers).

i use this stuff called liquid shotgun... it is a spray that smells like slim jims (just my opinion) and it keeps all sorts of animals away, it doesn't harm the plants and what it does is slightly burns the nasal passages and/or mouth when the animal sniffs or bites the plant. i read on the bottle that you can also use it around decks, sheds, garbage cans, etc. it doesn't harm the animal but creates a less than desirable environment for them. you spray it once and it lasts up to two months. i use it to keep deer away, this is my 2nd year with it and i actually haven't even seen a deer near the yard this year. last year they were eating my plants EVERY night. i also spray my fruit trees with it and it keeps the deer from them, it also wards off birds from the fruit too. if you are interested i will get the exact name off of the label for you. i believe the company that makes it is called bonide. it smells strongly for the first day, but after that i don't even notice it. i have been finding suspicious teeth marks on my pumpkins this year- i have no idea what it is, but i sprayed the whole patch with this stuff and haven't seen any more yet. i like this stuff because i don't like to harm or kill anything, i used to not even kill bugs but since i began gardening i can't help but squoosh the ones that are eating MY food. anyway, i hope this helps... it cost me $20 and i am almost at the end of the bottle (2nd season using it) a good investment if you ask me. i got it at my local nursery/landscaping store. sarah