Squirrels are Eating My Corn Plants

[Kevin B 123]

HI,

 

Don't know if this is the right place for this post.

 

I HAD 20 corn plants ( sweet corn) and they were doing well, until Squirrels came by and ate/scratched the stocks. I lost 8, so far. I put moth-balls down on the soil, it helps a little, is there something I can do?

 

I live in a city, on a tree lined street, Squirrels are numerous!

Edited July 6, 2009 by Kevin B 123

[ArmyOfFive4God]

A gun & lots of canning jars!!!

[gramma lois]

You can also try to sink tins (size of a tuna can) to ground level around your corn patch (say every few feet or so) and fill them with bleach...when it rains though you would have to replace the bleach. Good Luck!

[Homemaker]

I'm assuming the evil critters are getting the plants in the seedling stage, ( that's what my chickens did when they found a way into the garden.)

I just saw an illustration in a book called The Joy of Gardening. The author makes tunnels, or arches over his rows of seedlings with chicken wire. You'd need to secure the open ends as well. You could use landscape fabric pins to anchor it to the soil, or just make your own from hanger wire. It is removed when the plants get taller. By then, they are firmly anchored in the soil and a normal squirrel shouldn't be able to bother them.

He also covers them with plastic in an early plantings to get a jump start on the season.

He rolls it up and re-uses it in many different ways.

 

Squirrels dug up most of my onion seedlings this spring. I got too busy to put my insect barrier cloth over them like I usually do and they got to them within a matter of about 3 hours of planting them. Evil little things!

[Amishway Homesteaders]

FEED the Squirrels!

 

We never have problems with them eating our vegetables or flowers as we have a feeding station just for them off to the side yard. They like sunflower seeds and corn (both dried on the cob and loose corn). They are fun to watch too.

 

 

By the way . . . .

we have just the reverse problem you have as each year we have corn coming up EVERYWHERE as they like to bury corn all over the yard for winter time. It is so funny to watch them do this as first they will put one or two pieces of corn in their mouth, then run all over the yard looking for a good place to bury it. They stop , look all around and then dig a hole and drop in the corn. Now the best part- they use their front paws to bury it and then go 'pat - pat - pat' to make sure it is packed down and then brush the grass back over it so it is hidden. Then they look all around again and then juust run off. To funny!

 

[Kevin B 123]

I'm assuming the evil critters are getting the plants in the seedling stage, ( that's what my chickens did when they found a way into the garden.)

 

My Plants are Knee High, I see where Something, I assume Squirrels, have scratched through the stocks, at ground level and the plant itself then on the ground! .

 

Thanks for the suggestions !

 

I am going to RE-plant so

me corn in tall pots, to accodate the roots) and mothballs on the surface and maybe some chicaken wire

[Homemaker]

They're knee high and getting chewed through?!!

Well that's a totally different problem. I have squirrels, groundhogs rabbits and deer in my area, and I have never had that kind of damage. I can't imagine what it could be.

It would be difficult protecting them. Is your garden fenced? Of course, groundhogs and squirrels climb.

[Kevin B 123]

They're knee high and getting chewed through?!!

Well that's a totally different problem. I have squirrels, groundhogs rabbits and deer in my area, and I have never had that kind of damage. I can't imagine what it could be.

It would be difficult protecting them. Is your garden fenced? Of course, groundhogs and squirrels climb.

 

 

I built round chicken-wire cages around all the corn, and 6 sided chicken wire "boxes" around the rest of the garden.... Still waiting to see if this will work.

 

A badger has been spoted in this area, so i wonder did he do the damage ?

[Kevin B 123]

I spoke this day to several neighbors, all of whom said they to have lost all or most of their gardens. I think our weather here, cold nights, and Hot days have something to do with it, somehow triggering the Hunt/store instinct in rodents...... Also that badger had been spotted many times digging..

 

Next years Im going to grow chocolate milk duds