Do Groundhogs eat Tomatoes? (5+ Ways to keep them out of your Garden)

Have you ever seen groundhogs eating tomatoes? No? Well, trust me, I have seen them do it. You might be wondering if this is true and what you can do to keep them away from your tomatoes. This was the question I was searching for when I discovered that my tomatoes were being eaten by groundhogs. Fortunately, I found a method and successfully saved them.

Don’t worry, I am not greedy. That’s why I’ve explained all the steps that will help you save your tomatoes from groundhogs. If you encounter any problems, just ask me in the comment section below.

Quick takeaways:

• Groundhogs are even called woodchucks and they are attracted to tomato plants so that they can eat or drink them.
• Groundhogs do not eat the whole plant or tomato but they tend to get its nutrients and water so that it becomes easy for them to survive.

What are Groundhogs? 

Groundhogs or woodchucks are rodents that originated front he North America. They are 2 feet tall. They tend to have short legs with wide bodies that help them to mine their holes. They are herbivore animals that get attracted to fruits and plants anywhere.

They can even eat vertebrates. One of them is a lizard. They are even drawn toward the tomatoes. They eat them and get nutrients and water from to so that they can earn their livelihood. 

Do groundhogs eat tomatoes? 

Groundhogs like to eat tomatoes as they get nutrients and water for their survival from them. The burrowing animal groundhogs, eat your tomatoes. They eat when they are hungry but not unusual. They are those herbivores animals that attract tomatoes and eat or drink them. Not just groundhogs there are a few animals that eat tomatoes like rabbits, squirrels, etc and you need to know how to keep them away. 

They tend to eat other snacks from the garden too as strawberries and melons. They do not come in the category of picky eaters. You need to think before growing tomatoes if there are abundant groundhogs in your surroundings. So, it would be better for you not to plant the tomato plant there as groundhogs will eat them and you will get nothing in the end. 

Why do Groundhogs Like Tomatoes?

Groundhogs can eat other plants in your garden too so it is better for you to keep them away from your garden in any way. Though they won’t go easily from your garden you have to do it. They will eat the plants and fruits from your garden so you should know some of the ways to keep them away from your garden. 

Folks, do you know the reason why groundhogs like tomatoes? If yes, then great but if not, then you should be aware of it. Groundhogs will eat the tomatoes as they get the best from them in the form of fruit and water. They get nutrition from it for their survival. They tend to eat the fleshy part of your tomatoes so that they maintain their diet and they will drink the water from it to earn a livelihood. 

5+ Ways to keep them out of your Garden

As mentioned, you will be learning about various ways that can help you keep the groundhogs out of your garden area so that they do not spoil them. So, let’s see a glimpse of those plants: 

1. You can use the castor oil

Castor oil can be a great idea for keeping them away from your garden. It contains those substances that can let them leave their burrows and seek a new place anywhere else. But you might be thinking about how to do it.

You have to pour some of the soil into their burrow when they are not present there. To do this, you have to see their activities of them so that you know when they come out from their burrow.

2. Try motion-activated sprinklers 

It is one of the common methods that gardeners use to keep other animals out of their garden too. So, you can use the motion-activated sprinklers for your garden too.

It will scare the groundhogs. You can put it around those plants that are like the groundhogs so that when they come there, they get scared and run away from your garden area. 

3. What about fences? 

Fences are those barriers that do not allow any animal to enter your garden area and protect your vegetation from mammals just like groundhogs.

As they can not jump high, so fencing is a good idea. Make it about 12 inches so that they do not come into your garden. 

4. You can use soiled cat litter

As you know groundhogs need to stay away from predators as they do not like them. So, the smells of soiled cat litter will be very useful for you all to keep the groundhogs away from your garden area.

You can keep the little ones around the entrance of its burrow so that they run away from there. 

5. Make use of hot pepper spray 

Worries from the eating of tomatoes by the groundhogs? Did you use hot pepper spray to keep them away, if not, then you should do it.

Spraying it on the plants won’t let the animals touch the plants or eat them. You can save your tomatoes with the help of this. You can even make a spray of garlic and pepper so that it repels the groundhogs from your grown tomatoes. 

6. Try to pick the tomatoes earlier 

When tomatoes become red and ripe, then animals move toward them to eat them. So, if you pick them up early, the animals won’t get any chance to eat the tomatoes. This is how you can save the tomatoes from getting spoiled by groundhogs. 

7. Make sure you clean your garden

You can easily find the spots for the groundhogs and then spray any scent there so that they go away from your garden.

They won’t enter your garden then. Make sure you keep the garden clean as you can see their burrows. You have to keep the grass in the garden pruned. 

Concluding lines

This guide is for gardeners who are worried about groundhogs who eat their tomatoes. Groundhogs or woodchucks are rodents that originated front he North America. They are 2 feet tall. They tend to have short legs with wide bodies that help them to mine their holes. They are herbivore animals that get attracted to fruits and plants anywhere. Read the whole article so that you come to know about the ways properly. 

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