Garden wars

Last year, the produce from my garden was savored every single day. Tomatoes, just about to turn a vibrant red, were plucked from the vine and devoured whole. The chard and kale produced tender leaves for snacking. No cooking or seasoning needed; these veggies were consumed right in the back yard under the warm sun.

There was only one problem. I wasn't the one eating my veggies. The neighborhood groundhog thought my garden was his all-you-can-eat buffet, and he didn't leave much for me!

When we decided to garden again this year, I knew something had to be done. We got a trap and baited it with some pear... to our surprise, it caught Mr. Garden Thief the very first day! He was relocated to the north side of the river, and my little plants grew in peace.

That was, until this week. Prime real estate doesn't go uninhabited for long. A new groundhog has moved in, and my collard greens, sunflowers, and tomato plants are all being snacked on again.

We have set the trap again, but this one seems to know the drill. Plums and slices of orange were ignored. Today, we bought apples, so we'll find out soon if that was appealing or not. Maybe pears have a special place in little groundhog hearts?

Either way, my garden will be defended. But I don't have a dog, you can't use firearms in city limits, and our plastic owl don't even scare the birds.

...any ideas???