How To Get Groundhogs Out Of Your Garden | Stop Burrows Now

Groundhogs (woodchucks) eat like they mean it. One night can turn a row of beans into stems, and a single burrow can turn a tidy bed edge into a sinkhole. The good part: you can stop the pattern without turning your yard into a project that never ends.

The winning setup has two pieces. First, make the garden hard to enter. Next, make the den a bad place to stay, then close it so a new animal can’t move in. You can start today with quick protection, then lock it in with a fence built for diggers and climbers.

What Groundhog Damage Looks Like

Feeding signs are usually clean cuts at plant height, not ragged tears. Groundhogs stand up, pull stems close, and clip. You’ll see missing tops on peas, beans, lettuce, broccoli, and young squash. Low fruit can vanish too.

Burrow signs are just as clear: a wide hole (often 10–12 inches across), a mound of fresh soil, and a packed “runway” through grass. Dens often sit near cover like sheds, brush piles, stone walls, or thick border plantings.

Quick Checks Before You Start

• Find every opening. Many dens have one main entrance plus a second escape hole nearby.
• Confirm fresh use. Sprinkle flour at dusk and check for tracks the next morning.
• Walk your perimeter. If you already have a fence, look for digs under corners and gates.

Why Groundhogs Pick Your Garden

Groundhogs stick close to three things: food, cover, and soft soil. Gardens deliver all three. Mulch stays damp, beds stay loose, and the menu changes daily as plants ripen.

They also like a short dash back to safety. If your plot sits near a deck, shed, or rock pile, you’ve given them a pantry and a hideout in one place.

How To Get Groundhogs Out Of Your Garden When They Keep Returning

Most repeat problems come back because the den stays usable. Fix that, and the cycle breaks. Use this order:

1. Cut off easy meals.
2. Protect your highest-value beds while you build exclusion.
3. Get the animal out of the burrow, then block re-entry.

Step 1: Remove The Easy Meals

Pick ripe produce daily. Pull fallen fruit. Keep compost in a lidded bin, not an open pile. If you feed pets outdoors, bring bowls in right after meals.

Then clean up the edges. Tall weeds and stacked boards create cover that lets groundhogs feed longer. Mow a short strip around the garden so they feel exposed when they approach.

Step 2: Protect The Beds You Care About Most

While you build the longer fix, save your best crops right now:

• Hardware cloth collars around seedlings, pinned to soil so they can’t be pulled aside.
• Netting on hoops clipped tight at the base.
• Wire panels under decks where dens start near structures.

Build The Fence That Stops Digging And Climbing

A fence is the repeatable answer for gardens. Groundhogs climb and they dig, so a “tall fence” alone fails. The fix is a fence that goes into the soil and also discourages climbing at the top.

Fence Specs That Work

Penn State Extension describes a method that targets both behaviors: bury the lower edge 12 inches, then bend the bottom 6 inches outward in an L shape so digging meets a sideways barrier. See Penn State Extension’s woodchuck fencing guidance for the details.

For most gardens, use welded wire or poultry wire with openings no larger than 2 inches. Set the fence 3–4 feet above ground. Add a top that leans outward, or attach a loose strip that wobbles when climbed.

Gate And Corner Fixes

Groundhogs test corners and gates first. At corners, overlap wire and tie it tight to the post. At gates, extend buried wire under the opening so a digger hits wire before it reaches the gap. If the gate sits on soil, add a sweep board or a wire apron that overlaps the ground.

Raised Beds: A Faster Barrier

If you garden in raised beds, line the bottom with hardware cloth before adding soil. This stops tunneling into the bed. Pair it with a fence or tight netting at the top, since groundhogs can still climb in from the outside.

Evict A Groundhog From A Burrow Without Getting Tricked

After you’ve reduced food access, deal with the den. You want the animal out first, then you want the hole sealed so it can’t come back. Humane World for Animals lays out the same sequence—“evict,” then “exclude”—and also shares timing notes for burrow work. Use Humane World’s groundhog eviction and exclusion page as a reference while you plan your next steps.

Burrow One-Way Door Method

A one-way door lets the groundhog leave, then blocks re-entry. You can buy a door made for groundhogs or build one with a wire flap that swings outward. Place it over the main entrance, then leave other openings open so the animal can exit safely.

Check the door twice a day. When you see no fresh tracks or fresh digging at any entrance for two full days, treat the burrow as empty.

Close The Burrow For Good

After it’s empty, pack the tunnel opening with soil and rocks, then cap it with buried wire. Backfill alone often fails because the next digger reopens it in one night.

Rutgers Cooperative Extension warns against installing fencing over an active tunnel because it can trap wildlife under the structure. Read the section on fencing and tunnels in Rutgers NJAES “Ecology and Management of the Groundhog” before you seal and cover openings.

Groundhog Removal Options Compared

Some yards need more than exclusion, especially when a den sits under a shed, a slab, or a dense border where you can’t trench easily. In those cases, trapping can be a clean next step, as long as it’s legal where you live and you handle it safely.

Live Trapping Basics

Rules vary by state and even by town. Some places allow homeowners to trap; some require a permit; many restrict relocation. Before you trap, read your state wildlife agency rules and any local ordinances. If the rules feel unclear, hire a licensed operator.

If trapping is allowed, place the trap on a flat path the groundhog already uses, often along a fence or wall. Wear gloves when handling the trap. Check it early in the morning and again near dusk so an animal isn’t left out in harsh weather.

Baits That Tend To Work

Use foods that match what they already eat: leafy greens, apple slices, melon rind, or fresh beans. Put a small trail leading into the trap, then a larger piece at the back beyond the trigger plate.

Deterrents You Can Add Without Wasting Time

Deterrents can help while you’re building a fence. They rarely end a steady problem on their own. Rain washes sprays off, and hungry animals push through odors that might stop a casual visitor.

• Motion water spray. A sudden burst can stop daytime grazing.
• Fence add-ons. A leaning top, loose strip, or low electric strand can cut down attempts on the barrier.
• Crop placement. Put favorite crops deeper inside the fence line, not right on the edge.

Season Timing That Helps You Win

Groundhogs are active during warm months and spend long periods underground in winter. Many complaints rise in summer as young disperse and start digging their own dens. Exclusion work still pays off in any season if you keep gaps closed and avoid building over active tunnels.

For a broader look at barriers used across wildlife damage work, see the USDA APHIS Wildlife Services chapter on use of exclusion in wildlife damage management.

A Simple Two-Week Plan

Use this order so your garden stays protected while the long-term barrier goes in.

Days 1–2

• Pick ripe produce and remove fallen fruit.
• Mow the garden edge and clear cover near beds.
• Mark burrow entrances and confirm fresh use with flour.

Days 3–7

• Install or repair fencing with a buried section and tight corners.
• Patch gates and add a buried apron under gaps.
• Protect prime beds with netting or collars.

Days 8–14

• Use a one-way door on the main den if activity continues.
• Seal and cap empty holes with wire after track-free days.
• Recheck the fence line after rain and reset loose staples.

When you combine exclusion with den closure, you stop the cycle. You’re no longer chasing bite marks. You’re controlling access.

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