If you’re asking what do groundhogs eat, chances are, it’s for one of four reasons:

1. You’re wondering if groundhogs are eating your garden plants
2. You know groundhogs are eating your garden plants and your want to trap them.
3. You’ve rescued an injured or baby groundhog and want to help it.
4. You love wild animals, have seen some around and want to feed them.

Since this is a gardening website, chances are that most readers are anguishing over plant destruction. That’s what happened to us. But before we get into all the many things groundhogs eat, here’s a brief introduction to these cute critters.

What Are Groundhogs?

Groundhogs, also known as woodchucks, are herbivores that primarily consume a vast variety of plants. Residing mostly in North America, these critters have an adaptable diet that varies depending on the season and their habitat.

Groundhogs Devoured Our Entire Garden

We lost 90% of our garden vegetables this year. And yes, as you will see on the video below, we had at least two groundhogs in the garden in the broad daylight when no one was there. Although they have been precocious enough to be circling the garden in daylight even when people were home.

What Groundhogs Ate in Our Garden

• amaranth plants
• bean leaves, cucumber leaves,
• beet leaves
• okra leave
• parsley
• potato leaves
• squash leaves
• sunflower plants
• sweet potato leaves
• tomatoes – green & red

So What Else Do Groundhogs Eat?

Groundhog will eat pretty much anything you’re growing in the garden, but here are some of the most common groundhog foods as well as more specific foods in different circumstances.

List of Groundhogs Favorite Foods

• Alfalfa
• Bananas
• Beans
• Berries & berry leaves
• Cantaloupe
• Carrots
• Clover
• Dandelions
• Flowers (such as pansies and sunflowers)
• Grasses
• Leaves of veggie plants
• Lettuce
• Peas
• Tree bark
• Vegetables – almost every garden vegetable you grow, including the

Garden Vegetables Groundhogs Like to Eat

Alfalfa	Green tomatoes	Parsley
Amaranth plants	Grasses	Peas
Bean leaves	Lettuce	Potato leaves
Beet leaves	Okra leaves	Squash leaves
Broccoli	Sunflower plants	Sweet potatoes & leaves
Carrots	Dandelions	Cucumber leaves
Clover

What Do Groundhogs Eat to Trap Them?

When attempting to trap groundhogs, it’s essential to use bait that appeals to their natural preferences. Common baits include:

• Fresh vegetables like beans, broccoli, and carrots.
• Fruits such as apples, bananas & strawberries.

See more on best groundhog bait here.

What Do Groundhogs Eat in the Wild?

In their natural habitat, groundhogs feast on:

• Berries & berry leaves
• Crab apples
• Clover
• Grasses
• Tree bark (during harder times or for variety)
• Vegetation
• Wild flowers
• Wild Violets

Weeds Groundhogs Eat

While groundhogs consuming weeds might be helpful, they’re not discerning creatures. Your prized plants and your weeds are equally appealing. But here’s a list of common weeds consumed by groundhogs.

1. Chickweed (Stellaria media): A low-growing, flowering plant often found in gardens and yards.
2. Plantain (Plantago major): A common weed with broad leaves, often found in lawns and gardens.
3. Lamb’s Quarters (Chenopodium album): Often considered a weed, this plant is related to spinach and beet and can be found in gardens and fields.
4. Bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis): A vine-like weed that can be quite invasive in gardens.
5. Sorrel (Rumex acetosa): This weed has a tangy, lemony flavor and is found in fields and gardens.
6. Ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia): Common in fields and gardens, this weed is known to cause allergies in many people.
7. Clovers: While often desired in some settings for their soil-enriching qualities, in others, clover might be considered a weed.
8. Wild Mustard: A common weed in gardens and fields.
9. Wild Violets: Groundhogs eat the leaves and flowers of these delicacies.
10. Thistles: Though prickly and often avoided by many herbivores, some groundhogs might nibble on them occasionally.

While having a groundhog might assist in controlling these weeds to some extent, it’s also worth noting that they can cause other issues. Groundhogs dig burrows, which can be a problem in gardens or yards, as these burrows can be extensive. Additionally, while they eat weeds, they also have a taste for many garden vegetables and flowers, as previously mentioned.

If someone is considering using groundhogs as a form of weed control, it would be essential to weigh the benefits of weed reduction against the potential challenges they might introduce.

What Do Groundhogs Eat and Drink?

Being herbivorous, groundhogs primarily consume plants.

• Groundhogs drink water from natural sources like streams, ponds, or dew from plants. NOTE: LIke squirrels, they may consume tomatoes and other fruity fare if there’s no nearby water source. Adding a water source for them may help prevent their attacking your tomatoes.
• They might occasionally munch on insects or snails, though it’s rare.

What Do Groundhogs Eat in the Winter?

During the winter, groundhogs hibernate:

• They primarily rely on their fat reserves accumulated during the rest of the year.
• They don’t eat much, if anything, during hibernation.

What Do Groundhogs Eat in the Summer?

Summer is a prime time for groundhogs to munch on:

• A wide variety of greens: they adore grasses, clover, and alfalfa.
• Garden crops such as beans, peas, and carrots.
• Occasional fruits and flowers.

What Do Groundhogs Eat in the Garden?

In gardens, groundhogs can be quite a menace:

• They eat beans, peas, carrots, and broccoli.
• They might feast on flowers like sunflowers and pansies.
• Groundhogs also like squashes and other juicy vegetables.

What Do Groundhogs Eat in the Grass?

While in grassy areas, groundhogs focus on:

• Fresh grass: this forms a significant part of their diet.
• Clover and other small plants found in meadows.
• They might dig for roots or tubers in grassy areas.

Groundhog Resistant Plants

This is the short list of plants in our yard or garden that the groundhogs did NOT eat, which means these can also be groundhog deterrent plants that they will avoid.

• asparagus
• calendula
• clematis
• honeysuckle
• lantana
• mandevilla
• marigolds
• peppers
• thyme
• zinnias

In conclusion, groundhogs have a diverse diet that primarily leans toward vegetation. Their feeding habits vary with the seasons, and they can adapt to different sources of food based on availability. Whether in the wild or near human habitats, these creatures know how to find a meal.

If you’re wondering as we were, their role in the garden ecosystem, check out our article titled ‘What are Groundhogs Good for?’

Keeping Groundhogs out of the Garden

When it comes to critter deterrents, it definitely requires numerous measures for Integrated Pest Management (IPM). So we added additional deterrents to our electric fence system, which you can see in the video below.

We also brought out the sprinklers.

Motion Activated Sprinklers

We’ve used these motion activated sprinklers to help deter deer, squirrels, birds, raccoons and groundhog from our garden, (and the occasional person)! 🤣

Reinforcing Solar Electrical Fence System

So we’re still experimenting with various ways to keep groundhogs out of the garden. One GardensAll community member shared the idea of coating aluminum foil with peanut butter and hanging it from our solar electric fence system.

The idea is to attract them with the peanut butter and the foil will transmit a zap that won’t harm them (probably about like hitting your funny bone), so hopefully enough of an ouch to not want to repeat it so as to deter them from dining in our garden again.

Another community member shared her experience on our YouTube channel:

“We had groundhogs 2 years ago and they ate our beans down to sticks. My husband installed an electric wire around our entire garden about 6 inches off the ground. We watched one of the ground hogs get zapped. He jerked up and ran away as fast as possible and didn’t come back. It’s been 2 summers now. We’ve seen a ground hog but they haven”t been in our garden. Woohoo!”
~Susan G.

Groundhogs Can Be Cute and Friendly…

Enjoy this heartwarming and sweet story of a sweet young groundhog. But before you assume this is normal, be sure to see the other video below this.

Or… Groundhogs Can Be Hostile!

This next groundhog is scared and vicious. So the lesson is take care for yourself and the groundhog!

Sooo… wishing you the best success in protecting your gardens. Meanwhile, there’s always the idea of planting a dedicated wildlife garden with easy access well away from your protected garden. We’ll definitely give this a go in future when we have the time and space to.