I’ve been waging a war of nutrition. That’s right, whenever I see the evidence that the enemy has been active, I drop bloodmeal bombs. Which keeps the little root-nibblers at bay and which also does a great job of fertilizing. So the plants are happy. So are the weeds, unfortunately, but a little extra weeding is definitely an allowable cost. I’m declaring a conditional victory. I’m not confident enough yet to declare it unconditional.
On a Twilight Zone sidenote, my friend, Jessi, tried the bloodmeal method to keep the rabbits and squirrels out of her flower garden. The rabbits fled; the squirrels attacked. Yesterday she actually spotted one of them savaging a sock filled with bloodmeal. I think they’re either a) rabid, or b) some biotech project gone wrong. Seriously. Ew.
Mom
Izik
Denette
samsonblackwell
Hole in the Fence 
Interesting! I have never heard that bloodmeal worked to keep out gophers. Does this work for rodents, too? My garden seems to get visited by something that digs but not like a gopher, I think maybe it is either a skunk or a possum maybe. In either case, not something I want near my veggies!
Hey Jo!
From what I’ve read, the bloodmeal is good at keeping herbivores like rabbits and squirrels away. Since the possums and skunks are omnivores, I think this actually might ATTRACT them. I’ll ask some of my more knowledgeable gardening friends about those kinds of critters and get back to you.
Hi Jo, I might suggest two things. First, vinegar is not a favorite odor with either omnivores or herbivores so vinegar soaked rags in and about the garden area might do the trick. Also, ammonia for omnivores. Ammonia seems to mess with the scent glands of omnivores so they are either confused by the smell or are not able to pick up the omni scents over the ammonia. I am not sure which but if it works who cares. Again rags soaked with the ammonia and placed about the garden might do the trick. Here ammonia is good for the plants (in a diluted form it serves as a fertilizer) And vinegar because of its strong PH has the opposite effect. Yum isn’t nature interesting.