Herewith a brief introduction to solving the problem of garden thieves. Posts on specific varmints will follow.

. . . "Successful fencing requires detective work in addition to construction work," [says Robert Nuss, Ph.D., professor of ornamental horticulture at Penn State]. All garden pests have specific invasive strategies that your fence system must be designed to combat. . ."

Bill Quarles, Ph.D., managing editor of Integrated Pest Management's Practitioner magazine says deer are capable of jumping as high as 10 feet on a downward slope. And although a groundhog can barely get its belly off the ground, Dr. Q explains that it CAN dig--deeper than 18 inches, in fact. . . Raccoons are skillful climbers and will even scale nearby tree limbs or buildings to "parachute" into your not-so-forbidden fruit.

[Info re MO, tracks and spores will be delineated in individual threads re varmints.]

Dr. Q says get that fence up BEFORE varmints taste your crops--once they taste, they'll be back for more and try to outwit any barrier you erect. Dr. N says 20% of all homegrown produce in this country ends up in the bellies of these backyard bandits.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), July 06, 1999