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Well, I have bigger problems than the white spots now! Seems some squirrels wanted to play hide and seek in my patch and did some pretty heavy damage.

They knocked 1 pupmkin off its vine, broke off at the pumpkin end of the stem. This was not a giant, but a nice shaped Janck O Lantern. Is was turning orange, but I am not sure what to do with it now. Will pumpkins ripen off the vine?

They broke about a 10 foot by 5 foot wide patch of leaves. The plants seem to be doin OK, but its only been a day.

The patch is going to have to go with less attention the rest of the year. Was offered a great new job, and between working full time and going to college full time, I wont have as much time. Still planning on watering every morning, and my fiance will pitch in too. We will see what happens. Hope it rebounds, cause it really looks sad at the moment!

8/11/2003 3:43:55 PM

Montoursville, PA

Sorry for your situation. Not that it makes any difference I think you had a larger animal than a squirrel working in your patch.

8/11/2003 4:03:37 PM

[email protected]

Sherman 1000 fps .177 pellet gun with pointed steel pellets.
Quick, quiet, & as fast as a .22.

Sorry for your loss.

Steve

8/11/2003 6:49:35 PM

Ohio, USA

Maybe someday pumpkins will evolve so that they will kill the squirells. lol

8/11/2003 7:56:39 PM

No they were squirrels docgpipe, the dogs scared them out when I took them out Saturday morning. They are usually more interested in the garbage cans in the alley than anything, like I said, they were playing, didnt see anyting eaten, and the pumpkin was just lying there broken.

Any suggestions on what to do with it? Will it ripen of the vine?

8/11/2003 10:48:13 PM

porterville,california usa

sounds like a case for squirrel bait to me.

8/12/2003 1:55:18 AM

White Plains, NY

I'm with Docgipe.

The weight of the squirrel make it very unlikely that they caused the damage. The weight of the dog should be considered. Are the dogs free to roam?

8/12/2003 7:58:08 AM

Montoursville, PA

The squirrels now have all kinds of goodies to tuck away. I have no less than seven resident squirrels. They are in and out of the patch daily. I have seen no indication of gray squirrel damage.

Not that I presently need it but I keep ground level water and rabbit salt handy for small critter use. Squirrels will chew hoses for the salt. However they are lazy. Offer it to them in pure form and they will overlook the vinyl salts in hoses. If you have deer put the offerings away from your pumpkin patch as a deterent to entry.

8/12/2003 8:48:16 AM

Cincinnati,OH

My brother had a patio garden the squirrels tore up daily. He hated the squirrels but his wife loved them. Then one day his wife saw a statue of a squirrel holding an acorn at Walmart. The statue of the sqirrel was about 2 times as big as a regular squirrel. The statue was so cute she had to have it. This really annoyed my brother. She put the squirrel on the patio and after a few days the squirrels quit coming. I guess the Arnold Schwarshenegger squirrel scares them.

8/15/2003 7:25:26 PM

Montoursville, PA

Squirrels will solve any problem man confronts them with. One would be better off feeding and watering where they are away from a given area....like the pumpkin patch.

In a developed neighborhood you can not thin the pack and you can not overlook the fact that a neighbor will not like the crack of a loud gun which only clears the area of one squirrel making room for a new influx from surrounding areas.

Give them water and feed at ground level. They are lazy. Place this away from the patch by as much distance as your property permits. Involve them away from the patch is not a bad plan.

8/16/2003 9:51:40 AM