North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Jim Fruth" <jimfruth@charter.net>]

Ernest Plutko wrote, "Deer have never bothered my currants and gooseberries 
but mice and voles will strip bark and kill plants."

   That's interesting because the critters have never bothered any of my 
Ribes (Red Currants,  two varieties of Black Currants and several varieties 
of Gooseberries).  I just sort of assumed that rodents don't like Ribes.
   Could it be that the two to four inches of pine needles I mulch them 
with keeps the rodents at bay?  Possibility?  I don't know, but after 
reading Ernest's post, I'll keep mulching with pine needles.
   The only bark stripping damage I've experienced here was a fence 
climbing rabbit that mowed my young peach trees one winter.  Now I use 
spiral wrap on all fruit trees that don't yet have crusty bark.
   That rabbit?  I wouldn't have believed it until I saw rabbit tracks in 
the new snow.  The tracks came up to the 1" x 2" woven wire fence and tracks 
led away.  If that rabbit didn't climb the fence, then someone lifted him 
over but there was only rabbit tracks.

Jim Fruth
Brambleberry Farm
Pequot Lakes, MN  56472
For jams, jellies, syrups and more:
www.jellygal.com
1-877-265-6856 (Toll Free)
1-218-831-7018 (My Cell)