[AnneB]

One of my two lovely Connecticut Field Pumpkins, which was looking lovely when I went up to the plot on Wednesday morning is no more.   All that remained were the seeds and half the outer skin, complete with large tooth marks.  Looks like squirrel, rat or mouse.    Very annoyed.

I now have a dilemma.   I have a much bigger one that is just beginning to turn orange.   I don't want that to go the same way.   Do I bring home and try to ripen off the vine?   Or do I just keep my fingers crossed?

[snowdrops]

I would bring it home to ripen

[rowan57]

I would just chuck some net over it and weight it down.

[azubah]

That is so disappointing. I picked a crown prince squash today as I did not want to risk it being eaten. Sometimes they look alright, but the inside has been eaten away from underneath.

[RJR_38]

I would just chuck some net over it and weight it down.

That doesn't work here - they chew right through it

I do the final bit of ripening off the vine. I am thinking of making mesh 'cages' for next year...

[AnneB]

Thanks all.  Assuming it is still there tomorrow, I will bring it home to ripen.

[rowan57]

I would just chuck some net over it and weight it down.

That doesn't work here - they chew right through it

I do the final bit of ripening off the vine. I am thinking of making mesh 'cages' for next year...

Thats a shame! We don't really have squirrels or anything, just rabbits, but I never had anything bothered under the debris netting.

[RJR_38]

I think it's squirrels as I caught one in the act last year - on my prize squash  however it could also be rats as we have them too... I tried netting over some of them last year and it didn't work so picking them 'early' seemed the way to go for now. They don't bother with anything else luckily.... They leave the rest for the birds/slugs/deer