Okay, maybe Chicken Tractors aren’t for everyone or every garden, but even if your local ordinances prohibit keeping one in your backyard, you have to admit that it’s a pretty slick setup all the same!

Who Wants a Coop when a Chicken Tractor is in the Neighborhood

Chickens are the engine that powers this machine and can quickly reclaim an overgrown, weed and bug infested patch of ground and transform it into a cleared and fertilized area, all without the luxury of gasoline powered equipment and without back breaking struggles.

The tractor itself keeps the chickens in and predators out; if things work as planned! There is screening on the top and sides, but the floor is open so the birds have freedom to forage to their heart’s content. Nesting boxes and shade cloth or enclosures provide shelter from the elements as needed.

Following are a few photos taken at the Virgin Islands Sustainable Farm Institute during a trip to St. Croix that I made earlier this year. You can see the chicken tractor in action and get a better feel for how it actually works:

Before - look at how thick and overgrown the weeds are before the tractor goes into operation, it’s definitely not a job you would want to take on with just a tiller or a hoe.

During - the chickens are happy and content as they go about the task of foraging greens and weeds, snacking on insects and weed seeds, scratching to loosen up the soil, and depositing chicken poop.

After - see for yourself the good job and difference that the chicken tractor has made in a matter of days. Now the entire process can be repeated in the next section of garden.

At any stage you can’t forget this handy accessory; here is the nesting box that will keep you in freshly laid eggs from your healthy and happy chickens.

Starting a Wish List for the Gardener who has Everything

I think these are so cool and really wish that I could have one in my backyard. Here is a link to a site containing a variety of chicken tractor photos and designs for anyone interested in building their own.

But be sure to check back with me, because I haven’t completely given up on the crazy idea of carrying a chicken tractor in my OpenSky Organic Garden Shop… if I can just figure out a way to stock and inventory those chickens! Stay tuned.

There are both chemical and non-chemical controls for solving disease problems. It should be noted that fungicides should be used only as a last resort, when all other control tactics have been exhausted. Many of these products are highly toxic, rating a signal word of “danger” or “warning.”

Common Diseases that are Present in Backyard Gardens

The following are some of the most common diseases you’ll be faced with along with some information on the plants they attack and some remedies – both chemical and non-chemical:

Bacterial Wilt – A common disease of cucumbers, bacterial wilt also afflicts muskmelons, squash and pumpkins. Most troublesome east of the Rockies, it is prevalent during moist weather. Cucumber beetles feeding on foliage usually spread it. Symptoms include rapid wilting of plants and death of young seedlings.

Check for the disease by cutting a stem near the base and squeezing it; if present, bacteria will ooze out in a sticky mass. Try using floating covers to keep beetles off plants or spray with pyrethrin.

Gummosis and Cankers – These are both terms used to describe various bacterial or fungal diseases that cause oozing, sunken lesions on trunks or limbs of afflicted trees and shrubs. The problem is most commonly seen on fruit trees, and often gets its start when the disease organism enters through a wound or borer entry hole.

To prevent this problem, avoid over watering and take care not to injure plants. Protect young trees from sunscald by wrapping the trunks loosely in burlap. If the plant is generally healthy, it will usually seal off the cankers. If the canker appears on a small limb, prune it out well below the canker; disinfect tools between cuts.

Powdery Mildew – This fungal disease attacks a wide variety of plants, including all sorts of beans, clematis, dahlia, grape, rose, strawberry, tomato, and zinnia, and trees such as apple, maple, oak, peach, and sycamore. It is favored by moist air, shade, and poor air circulation, but needs dry leaves to become established.

The first symptoms are small gray or white circles on leaves, stems and flowers; then entire leaves or blooms become powdery white and distorted. Some plants remain vigorous despite the infection, but others decline or fail to set fruit. Some flowering plants can become so disfigured that they must be removed from the garden.

To prevent powdery mildew, plant resistant varieties and routinely spray plants with jets of water to wash off fungus spores. Increase sunlight to plants by avoiding overcrowding. In the fall, discard infected flowers, fruits, and plants.

Sulfur may help; on roses and other flowering plants, try a baking soda and summer oil spray. Some gardeners report success with the anti-transpirant sprays sold to protect tender plants from cold. Such sprays keep the surface temperature of treated leaves somewhat higher than that of the surrounding air; apparently, they also prevent mildew spores from attaching to foliage.

Maintaining a Happy, Healthy, Disease-Free Vegetable Garden

Hopefully the above information will help you to maintain a beautiful and healthy garden. When disease is handled quickly and properly, you can keep your garden at its best with just regular care. A garden can add joy and therapy to your life, and a healthy garden leads to a happy gardener.

Bob Guillow has been a content writer for over 10 years. His expertise ranges from gardening to IT. His website, http://gardenmanuals.com is the culmination of six years of gardening experience.

Although diseases can appear despite your best efforts, if you’re familiar with their symptoms and the controls that can be used against them, you’ll have a better chance of stopping them before they can become a problem.

Sensible Cultural Practices to Keep Plant Diseases at Bay

While good gardening practices will fend off many diseases, you can’t always prevent a disease from attacking a prized plant. To help keep plant problems under control, try taking the following steps:

• Transplant Carefully – This minimizes root damage. When broken, roots are susceptible to certain soil born diseases.
• Keep Plants Healthy – Give them the water, light and fertilizer they need to flourish.
• Keep the Garden Clean – Do a thorough fall cleanup each year utilizing your favorite garden tools. Remove weeds, since pathogens may over-winter on them. Strip off any diseased leaves remaining on plants and rake up and discard all diseased leaves on the ground. You may also want to rake up other garden debris, though, if not diseased, it can serve as good mulch.
• Buy Disease-Resistant Plants – Vegetable seed packets are labeled to indicate the particular plant’s disease resistance. Plant tags on fruit trees or ornamental trees and shrubs also contain this information.
• Take Care Not To Injure Plants – An open wound on a plant stem or tree trunk readily admits bacteria and fungi.
• Avoid Wet Weather Garden Work – You may unwittingly spread water-borne pathogens as you move about from one spot to the next.
• Remove Diseased Plants – If certain plants are constantly afflicted by disease, eliminate them from the garden and replace them with less troublesome choices. This solution is simpler than trying to control the disease, and it removes the source of further infection.
• Install a Drip Irrigation System – Minimize the splashing water that can spread water-borne pathogens.

Unfriendly Sources of Backyard Garden Diseases

Fungi, bacteria and viruses are the pathogens most often responsible for plant diseases. Unlike green plants, these organisms are incapable of manufacturing their own food and must instead take it from a host plant. Fungi can live in the soil, but the bacteria and viruses that cause plant problems cannot survive outside of their host.

Fungi multiply by tiny reproductive bodies called spores, which they produce in great quantity. Spores of some fungi enter plants through the roots; others land on leaves, where they attach and complete their life cycle.

Simple Organisms Create Complex Problems

Bacteria need water and warmth to multiply, so the diseases they cause tend to be more prevalent in warm, wet climates. These single-celled organisms enter plants through wounds and cuts.

Viruses are even smaller than bacteria; they can reproduce only within the actual cells of the host organism. Some viruses are transmitted by insects such as aphids, leafhoppers and thrips; others are carried by infected seeds and pollen. Viruses also enter plants through wounds and cuts.

Tomorrow Bob will return to describe the most widespread backyard plant diseases and share some organic practices to help keep them in check.

Bob Guillow has been a content writer for over 10 years. His expertise ranges from gardening to IT. His website, http://gardenmanuals.com is the culmination of six years of gardening experience.

Here’s a tale of gardening misery over Kim’s failed efforts to control and eliminate the squash bugs from her organic vegetable garden:

Massive Invasions of Destructive Squash Bugs

“I planted several squash, cucumber, melons and pumpkin last year that were completely taken over by squash bugs! I went to sleep seeing these things. I spent countless hours out there literally, squashing them. But it didn’t matter, they kept multiplying.”

“Then they would spread to another type of plant to infest that. I sprayed, sprinkled and cut with no resolve. I started to spray right away when I would plant baby newcomers into the garden thinking if I got to it before they did then I’d be ok. Nope!”

“The squash bugs eventually attacked them too. I still got “some” fruits, but only a fraction of what should have been. Let me share with you what I used. Garden Safe fungicide/insecticide, and a powder, I forgot what it was called but I would mix it with water so I could spray it on. I think that was it.”

Searching for Answers to Controlling Squash Bugs in the Garden

“So, Kenny, if you have any suggestions I would so much appreciate it. I’d like to get the garden off to a good start this year. I also had a huge problem with cabbage worms eating my cabbage and broccoli. Then had something, may have been a fungus or something that tore up all my heirloom peppers.”

“It was a disaster last year. It should have made me want to give up gardening. I was real close! Help me if you can to regain more joy this year.”

Don’t give up Kim, the problem of dealing with squash bugs is a common one and they can be a huge nuisance. They are resistant to pesticide sprays and their populations are driven by a life cycle that progresses from nymphs to adults in a very short time frame!

To make matters worse, squash bugs are destructive at every stage of their development, and they don’t seem to be kept in check by predatory beneficial insects. Left uncontrolled, you’ll soon be facing a large infestation of both adult and juvenile squash bugs. Frequently targeted crops are pumpkins and various types of squash.

Striking Back Against a Formidable Garden Pest

The best chance of deterring or controlling squash bugs will require close attention, quick action, perfect timing, or a lot of luck. Start by learning to identify the squash bug’s eggs which are usually laid on the undersides of plant leaves. These dark yellow to reddish oval eggs can be crushed to help control squash bugs before they even begin to hatch out.

Adult squash bugs are especially difficult to manage so do your best to control the insects during the juvenile stages. They move around and congregate in groups, which you can often use to your advantage.

Crush unsuspecting squash bugs under foot as they gather beneath low lying leaves or prop a board up on the ground near affected plants and destroy the pests when they seek shelter underneath the trap that you’ve set for them.

Organic Pesticides and Biological Insect Controls

I try to avoid spraying pesticides, even organic ones in my garden but if you must resort to spraying then do it while the squash bugs are still small and less resistant to the sprays. Organic pesticides used to combat squash bugs include; pyrethrum, sabadilla, and neem. Take care to protect yourself and limit the impact on beneficial insects anytime you apply a spray, even if it is totally organic.

One beneficial insect reputed to prey on squash bugs is the Tachnid Fly, but they don’t seem to do a sufficient job on their own. A few plants are also recommended as companions to help deter squash bugs, they include; tansy, marigolds, radishes, and nasturtiums. I mix these into my garden beds but can’t vouch for their effectiveness at deterring squash bugs.

Some gardeners swear by trap crops, which are planted away from main growing area. For example, you could plant pumpkins merely for the sake of keeping the squash bugs off of your cucumbers or squash. The trick is finding a crop or variety that the squash bugs will favor over the crops that you prefer. Personally I’d rather tr not do anything to invite or attract the pests in the first place.

Effective Strategies to Eliminate Squash Bugs without Spraying

One thing that I have noticed some success with is delaying my plantings and growing squash as a late summer or early fall crop. Delayed plantings may allow the backyard gardener to dodge the normal reproduction, growth, and infestation patterns that squash bugs maintain. I have gotten better results when planting my squash out a few weeks later than usual.

Floating row covers can be very effective at providing a barrier between the insects and your crops if they are applied properly. Get the row covers on early and make sure that they are anchored down so that the squash bugs can’t simply sneak underneath. Also remember that the row covers will need to be pulled back, at least temporarily, to allow for pollination when the crops are flowering.

Finally, at season’s end do your best to make things difficult for any squash bugs that are interested in hanging around to infest and lay eggs in next year’s garden. Clear out the old squash plants, spent cucumber and pumpkin vines, and don’t leave the fruits to rot on the ground. Also remove other garden debris that could be used by the squash bugs to over-winter.

I won’t list the many health claims associated with the use of sea vegetables, other than to say that they are very nutritious and rich in vitamins, trace minerals, and even proteins. In addition to the nutritional perks, seaweeds are known to offer medicinal benefits that are well worth investigating.

Will the Real Super Greens Please Stand Up

I’ve always touted leafy greens such as kale and collards as the ultimate nutrient dense health food, but sea vegetables just may have them beat thanks to all the healing elements that they can absorb from the oceans and pass on to our bodies and gardens.

Seaweeds are great for cooking with, and to use as a garden fertilizer and plant growth enhancer. In the past I’ve viewed seaweeds in the kitchen as more of a seasoning and spice than anything else. Strips of kombu were used to season legumes, dulse flakes served as a salt substitute, and nori was used to hold together tasty rice balls.

Building a Meal Around Sea Vegetables

During the Earthwalk Northwest Seaweed and Coastal Foraging Class I discovered that seaweeds can actually make a meal and be more of a focus than an accent. And a very delicious focus they are! Some of the seaweed recipes that we enjoyed and learned to create included:

• Nereocystis and Laminaria Seaweed Salad
• Tortillas with Alaria Lentil Spread
• Sea Vegetable Soup
• Kelp Cookies and Energy Bars
• Bladderwrack and Alaria Stir Fry
• Bullwhip Kelp Dill Pickles
• Black Cod and Sea Vegetable Casserole
• Nori Wrapped Sushi Rolls
• Baked Oatmeal with Dried Kelp Fronds
• Scrambled Eggs with San Juan Seaweed Spuds

All of the dishes were delicious and nutritious but my favorites were the mock Navarro oysters and the simple but tasty marinated seaweed salad. Seaweeds can become an important supplement to the daily diet. Unfortunately you can’t grow sea vegetables in the home garden, but they still play an important role out there as well!

Using Seaweeds in the Backyard Veggie Garden

Seaweeds make a terrific organic fertilizer in the home vegetable garden. The valuable nutrients and trace minerals found in seawater are absorbed and concentrated in the seaweeds and can then be delivered to the plants growing in our backyards.

Various organic seaweed based fertilizers are available for use by home gardeners. Some are packaged in a granular form the can be spread onto the ground and mixed into the top layers of the garden’s soil. I prefer to use the liquid seaweed fertilizers that are mixed with water and sprayed onto the plant’s leaves as a foliar fertilizer that is immediately put to use by the plants.

In addition to providing nutrients and trace elements, seaweeds are also reputed to provide specific growth enhancing properties to plants. For example watering vegetable tranplants with a dilute solution of liquefied seaweed fertilizer can help the plants recover quickly and reduce transplant shock. The application of seaweed fertilizers is also credited with improving frost tolerance and enabling plants to handle colder temperatures.

Making Your Own Organic Seaweed Fertilizers

I’m experimenting with making my own seaweed fertilizer out of some of the scrap seaweeds that I brought back from Washington State. I just steeped the seaweed in a couple gallons of clean water and let it sit for a few days to break down and ferment. Afterward I’ll strain the concoction and use it as a homemade organic spray.

If you have access to a supply of seaweeds, another option is to use them as part of the organic matter that goes into building your compost piles. You may want to give a quick rinse to clean them and reduce the amount of salt before adding to the compost. Seaweeds can also serve as a good mulch for the garden beds.

This is just a brief outline of the uses that seaweed can be put to in the kitchen or the garden. I encourage you to explore these incredible plants and the benefits that they supply as food and nutrition, medicinally, or as an aid to help cultivate a more productive garden.

B.t. accomplishes this feat because it is based upon a naturally occurring soil bacteria that operates like a stomach virus in causing caterpillars to become sick, quickly stop feeding, and die within days of ingesting even a small amount of the substance. How does that sound — a “bug” for bugs!

Other things that I like about using Bacillus thuringiensis for organic insect control in the vegetable garden include the following features and advantages:

• Ease of Application – B.t. comes in powered or liquid form. The powder can be dusted onto the plants or sometimes comes in a shaker type dispenser. The liquid version of B.t. is my favorite and is simply mixed with water and sprayed onto your veggie plants.

• Extremely Economical – One reason for my preference of the liquid version of Bt is that it seems to be more economical and a small bottle will go a long way. Kept cool and dry, Bt can be stored over a couple seasons, but I only mix up as much as I need for each application. You should be able to locate an 8 oz. bottle of B.t. for around $10.

• Very Effective – For the usual offenders in the garden Bt has never failed to not just control, but to totally eliminate the pests from my gardens. At the top of my hit list are cabbage worms that attack the heirloom cabbages, kale, broccoli, and other cole crops as summer winds down.

• Bugs Can’t Hide – It only takes a very small amount of Bt in the insect’s system to bring about its downfall, but they must ingest the bacteria in order for it to work. That’s usually not a problem as long as you provide good spray coverage during application.

• Safety Considerations –B.t. is a naturally occurring substance that targets specific insects, which makes it less intrusive on the environment than a broadly toxic pesticide, even the organic types. There are various strains for different insect types; B.t. Kursaki for caterpillar control, B.t. Israelensis for eliminating fly and mosquito larvae, and B.t. San Diego for controlling beetles.

Bacillus thuringiensis is available for use in destroying tent caterpillars, cabbage loopers, cutworms, gypsy moth larvae, budworms, corn borers, tomato hornworms, leafrollers, peach tree borers, webworms, codling moths, and other caterpillars. B.t. is also available for controlling the larvae of black flies, mosquitoes, and fungus gnats, in addition to potato beetles and certain leaf beetles.

Even though B.t. can be safely applied right up to the day of harvest, if there are only a few caterpillars to be dealt with, I still prefer the manual organic control of hand picking instead of breaking out the sprayer or duster. Apply Bt only when there is a definite need to control an identified and targeted insect pest that is present in the garden.

Potential Shortcomings of Using B.t. in the Garden

It sounds all good, but is there a downside to using Bt for organic insect control? Nothing major that I can think of, of course I do treat Bt with the same cautions as any other organic or chemical pesticide. Biological or organic doesn’t infer that a product can be handled haphazardly or be applied without restraint!

B.t. gradually breaks down over time and under exposure to sunlight, and more rapidly due to rainfall, so this biological insecticide will need to be reapplied after a week or two if the insect infestation continues. But in my experience I have usually been able to get by when needed with just a couple, well-timed, applications to control cabbage worms in the fall vegetable garden.

Possibly the biggest issue related to Bt is the potential for future insect populations developing a resistance to Bacillus Thuringiensis. Even though B.t. has been used effectively for decades there have been reports of insects developing a resistance and concerns that commercial attempts at genetic engineering to combine B.t. genes with plants will increase the threat of B.t. resistant insects.

But trapping is only half of the battle, once the critter is caged you still have to determine what to do with it next? To begin with, resist that temptation to take out a little vengeance for all the havoc that the groundhog has caused; remember that this little pig was simply doing what it does best… Eat!

Let Groundhog Bygones be Bygones

I was pretty annoyed when I learned that the greedy groundhog feasting on the veggies in my garden refused to touch a thing in my neighbor’s unfenced garden that was much closer to his home, and instead saved his appetite for my garden.

Whatever his reasoning, I wasn’t at all pleased with that particular groundhog and the favoritism displayed towards my fresh vegetables. Guess I should have taken it as a compliment that Mr. Woodchuck considered my produce to be such an exclusive treat on his menu.

No matter how it may seem to the gardener whose garden in under attack, it really isn’t anything personal and the groundhog is not out to make life miserable, destroy the garden, or cause you to lose all self-control as your cherished plants are wiped out!

Personal Safety Comes First

So rather than exact revenge, let’s just take care to relocate the animal while causing it as little additional stress as possible.

The first step is to keep in mind that you’re dealing with a wild creature, and a trapped animal has the potential of being diseased, or can attack in an effort to escape from its predicament. Be careful to protect yourself and others from harm during the process of capturing and releasing your trapped groundhog.

That includes ensuring that the trap is secure and that fingers are kept outside of the trap at all times. Those teeth aren’t just for eating, and many trapped woodchucks will put on a good display to convince you that they do mean business. You may want to wear gloves but don’t fool yourself into believing that they offer any real protection against an animal bite, scratch, or puncture.

Don’t touch or handle the groundhog and be alert to any indication that it is injured or diseased. If the animal exhibits any sign of sickness or behaves in an abnormal manner contact an animal control officer rather than attempt to release the creature back into the wild.

Ensuring the Welfare of Trapped Woodchucks

Once your safety is accounted for you need to consider the welfare of the animal. Use a live capture trap, such as a Havahart that won’t physically harm the woodchuck. And the time to familiarize yourself with the release procedures for your particular trap is BEFORE there is an animal actually in the trap!

DON’T leave trapped animals unattended for any length of time. You would be unpleasantly surprised by how quickly a caged animal can die from exposure, especially on a hot, sunny day.

Don’t leave a trap set if you will not be available to check it and tend to the animal within a period of a few hours. If there is a temporary delay in releasing a trapped groundhog the trap should be moved to a shady area to provide relief from the ultraviolet sun rays that can be very harmful to a caged animal.

During transport a stressed or agitated animal in a trap can be calmed and quieted by covering the trap with an old blanket or tarp, just make sure that it allows for good air circulation and will not cause overheating.

A Little Groundhog R&R (Release and Relocation)

Before moving and releasing your trapped groundhog it may be a good idea to check out the local state game regulations in your locality.

After contacting the PA State Game Commission in my jurisdiction, I was told that I could release the groundhog pretty much wherever I pleased. That sounded a little odd, but I didn’t ask twice. I did however look around to identify a good location where I felt the animal would be safe and happy upon its release, and would not create a problem for anyone else.

Avoid releasing your pest in residential areas, near active roadways, around other gardens or farmlands, or in environments that would not provide suitable cover, vegetation, and the type of terrain that a groundhog would need in order to survive.

And I could be wrong on this point, but I also try to release the groundhog during daylight hours so the animal can become acclimated, find a new home, and settle down before darkness sets in.

The official Veggie Gardening Tips Groundhog Preserve where I release my trapped woodchucks is located about four miles from my garden. It consists of a sprawling tract of uninhabited land with a varied mix of hills, brush, tree lines, and open fields that should make an ideal home for raising baby groundhogs.

If you are up against a troublesome groundhog that is devouring your garden or creating unsightly holes throughout your landscape, the preferred method to solve the problem is to trap the critter and find a new home for it.

Considering how much of a headache groundhogs can become, and how difficult it is to get close before they scurry into their underground hideout; trapping groundhogs will be a cinch if you follow the strategies that I offer in this article.

Selecting the Right Groundhog Trap

The essential piece of equipment that you’ll need for trapping a groundhog is the trap itself. I use a Havahart trap, which works great and will catch animals without harming them so that they can be relocated and released safely.

Havahart makes metal “live-catch” traps that are suitable for catching groundhogs. The trap’s dimensions should include an opening that’s at least ten inches wide and about a foot tall. There are two popular Havahart styles for you to choose from.

The first stlye is open on both ends with a bait tray/trap release mechanism in the center. This model is supposed to make animals less cautious about entering because they do not see an obstruction at the opposite end of the trap. This style can be a little more difficult to set and also tends to be easier to trip accidentally.

The second style of trap has only one entrance and is closed on the other end, with a trigger release plate towards the rear end of the trap. This model is easier to set and not as sensitive to accidental triggering, but requires a little more care and effort to release the trapped animal. For trapping groundhogs I prefer this closed end style of a trap.

Bait, Who Needs Bait to Catch a Groundhog?

Groundhogs are active during the daylight hours and spend their nights sleeping underground in their burrows. They usually don’t wander too far from their burrows when foraging for food and at the first sign of danger they will quickly dash to the safety and cover of their hideout’s hole.

When it comes to dinner groundhogs really aren’t choosy, they’ll eat just about anything. In the garden they seem to target leafy greens and succulent, tender vegetation. This season the groundhogs in my garden were especially fond of okra leaves and green heirloom tomatoes.

They also snacked on carrot tops, cabbages, and melon vines, but weren’t too fond of the peppers or eggplants growing nearby. In the past I’ve successfully baited woodchuck traps with everything from cut apples, to watermelon rinds and fresh organic carrots.

I like to use carrots as groundhog bait because they will remain fresher over a long period of time, but the quartered apples may be a little more enticing to groundhogs. However as you’re about to discover, the bait that you use doesn’t really matter if you’re wise about where you place your trap.

The Secret to Fast Groundhog Trapping Success

When it comes to trapping woodchucks the most important consideration is the location where you set your trap. I was recruited to help a co-worker trap a nuisance groundhog a couple of weeks ago. His wife posed the important question of how long it would take to trap the critter?

When I said it would be in the trap the next morning she didn’t comment but I don’t think that she really believed my prediction. Well guess what was waiting for them the next morning? Sure enough, the groundhog that had been mocking them for weeks wasted little time in falling for the enticement of the trap.

The secret to trapping a groundhog quick, fast, and in a hurry is to take the trap to him and place it right outside of the animal’s den. What groundhog is going to refuse being served breakfast in bed? This trick will also reduce the chances of unpleasant surprises on your part, such as the time a skunk wandered into my trap that was intended for Mr. Woodchuck but had been set in a general area!

And just to make sure that we get the groundhog’s full attention, look around until you locate props such as crates, boxes, firewood, or containers that can be used to set up a temporary barricade around the burrow’s entrance. In this case there were large stones nearby that were perfect for the task. The barrier doesn’t have to be tall or sturdy, just sufficient to create a path of least resistance toward the trap.

Sure you can set the trap right in the garden or where you observe the animal feeding but that could still take days or weeks to coax him into the trap. Using this technique almost guarantees a speedy capture. Set the trap in the evening after the groundhog has retired for the evening and more than likely you’ll bag him first thing the following morning.