Common household remedies request

Seems the predatory varmints would just gnaw that through in no time. Probably it's vinyl coating over the chicken wire.

Get whatever's cheapest. Hey! You could do a study on which color woodchucks find least appealing.

I'm dealing with moles on steroids now. HUGE molehills. My guard-cats are useless.

I used to use old metal roofing, half in the ground/half out, as a groundhog proof barrier around the garden. They will simply dig under any other fence. The solid sheet of the roofing is necessary to block their view of the veggies they would otherwise eat. Galvanized metal roofing from old barns etc will last a long time, and it is generally free at the municipal transfer station/dump. Overlap the ends, and secure them with wire ties to the next sheet.

I am mostly growing veggies now in raised beds placed on top of the concrete waste blocks that form my retaining walls. These blocks are 2' x 2' x 8', and interlock to form very stable structures (they cost about $84 each at the local concrete company and can be assembled to make walls up to 6 to 8 feet high). But, the top is relatively ugly. So, I put a 2x10 box around the edge, filled it with loam (and sheep manure with enough peat moss to make the mix "fluffy"). I had a few problems with chipmunks and squirrels, but woodchucks, raccoons, etc are very effectively blocked by the concrete and light fencing on the uphill side. With hoops and some plastic film, I get a greenhouse effect early. With an automatic watering system (home depot - $49), I don't have to be around if don't want to be. The biggest source of damage last year was my german shorthair pointer, who thinks that broccoli and bok choy are delicious. She ate most of the plants right down to the roots.

Yeah, I am not advocating raised gardens on the blocks for their own sake. The walls hold dirt and provide protection to basement insulation. The blocks are the cheapest way get that done (they are almost two cubic yards of concrete). I have an excavator, so the whole job was cheap. The thing is, a former neighbor also has no trouble with woodchucks in her raised gardens, and they are just built around wood. A determined animal could get into them, and mine, but they don't. I think that is because they can't see into them, which was also why old metal roofing worked so well. You are right about the aesthetics of old metal roofing.

You'll see which woodland creature has targeted your plants soon enough. I have never seen a woodchuck climb a fence, and their holes are hard to miss when they dig their way in. In Northern New England, the cotton tail is rare - rare enough to be a protected species. If you have hares, you are probably seeing a snowshoe rabbit. They are around however they confine themselves to the woods. Maybe my dog has something to do with that even though she has no interest in anything but birds. My first guess is that they are not your problem. Deer are a different story. But, a fence to keep deer out of your garden needs to be quite high - 6' to 8' is normal. There are other remedies you might try before you spring for another level of fencing. If you have a local barber or beauty salon, you may be able to get enough human hair to make a difference. A local orchardist advocates leaving it around his young apple trees to dissuade deer browsing. Your neighbors might object, but deer are repelled by human urine. Obviously, the use of that insight is limited to things like saplings and young tomato plants. I am more willing to tolerate depredation in the lettuce. Also, I am so far into the woods that its application is not a problem, but it sounds like you might have to be more creative than I am.

Good luck!

I've got off-the-grid neighbors/friends who are almost self-sufficient. They are some of the hardest workers I have ever seen - young, strong and healthy, and the guy was raised on a farm. They live very simply. Still they need a connection to a wider agricultural community, and part time jobs. Our nation would not survive if everyone had to try to do what they do; I certainly wouldn't.

On the other hand, my little town used to be a net exporter of agricultural products based on a system of farmers, mechanics, processors, etc. The prosperity of that era is shown in the fine homes lining Main Street, and dotted all over our agricultural areas, in the enormous barns, and in our annual agricultural fair. When we made things for each other, we were prosperous. We are down to one garage specializing in agricultural equipment now, run by old men. They keep all those antique tractors and agricultural machines in operating condition, without which the remaining farms could not continue. They are not the only tenuous thread. We have a small, part-time slaughter house, a couple of potato packing operations, and no small industries.

It will take a lot to recreate the network of businesses and relationships that make real local food self-sufficiency possible again. And Fryeburg has a far more viable agricultural community, and far better soil, than most of the rest of our State. Some of that change is happening. For example, a group of Mennonites have moved into the area from the Lancaster area of Pennsylvania. Their small market is more than competitive with the grocery chains on the stuff they carry. Better still, they sold their excess produce last summer remarkably inexpensively. They are expanding their operations. I might not share their theology, but I certainly respect their work ethics.

I believe that track is the way for most of our nation to recapture its wealth and freedom. One of the biggest obstacles is the local elites' conservatism - both in the political way that word is used now, and in the traditional usage. Small caliber plutocrats are even more fearful of change than the oligarchs who run our nation. While there are aspects of this story that are troubling, I am recalling a proposed industrial development here a couple of years ago, which those plutocrats killed. The problem, I was told, was that the plant would have been unionized and it would pay its workers respectable wages. We can't have that ...