On Saturday, the woodchuck discovered the high tunnel. Kamal put together the electric fence: the lowest wire for the woodchuck and the other two wires to deter the deer. I knew the woodchuck would want to enter the field, but never thought it would enter by the front door into the high tunnel.
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| Kamal pointing to the paw prints in the fresh compost. |
Alas, it's humbling. Notice the defoliated bean plant in the foreground? Of course, I planted beans in the tunnel because everyone at the school warned me. Another close-up below.
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| A better view of paw prints |
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I read somewhere that woodchucks monitor folks habits. This woodchuck comes out in the afternoon. Anyhow, I spooked it when I went to turn off the water near its burrow. It ran to hide in the closest place possible - my high tunnel.
Yesterday, when delivering woodchips with a bucket loader, my colleague saw the woodchuck jump over the side and into the high tunnel. He cornered it (not before it sampled lettuce, radishes and more beans) and it ran out. My colleague suggested chicken wire.
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| Before I could buy chicken wire, for the night I draped in row cover what was most tempting to the woodchuck. |
Out in the field, most of the row cover is off, because it is too hot. I can only use it at night. Plus, the row cover blocks the plants access to pollinators.
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| This evening's photo with chicken wire along the baseboard. |
Hoping that all this (plus a cinder block and deflated volleyball at the door), keep the woodchuck away and our first harvest of 2014 safe.
