Most gardeners see groundhogs as their nemesis – furry little bandits that sneak into their lovingly tended plots and devour months of hard work in minutes. But Jeff Permar made peace with his vegetable thief. In fact, he made him famous.
It all started when Jeff noticed chunks missing from his vegetables and set up a security camera to see what was going on. “I really did not expect a groundhog to pop right up into the camera out of nowhere and stare directly into my soul!” Jeff recalls. That groundhog was Chunk, and rather than scurry away when caught in the act, he did something unexpected – he brazenly locked eyes with the camera and continued to chow down.
Of course, Jeff had heard about Groundhog Day Prediction but had never encountered the animals in his own backyard. As a dedicated gardener, he could have waged war against Chunk, like so many before him. But instead, Jeff leaned into the humor of the situation. He learned more about what groundhogs like to eat and started sharing videos of Chunk’s antics online. Before long, the groundhog became an internet sensation.
A Groundhog with Swagger
Chunk isn’t your typical garden intruder – he’s got personality. “Chunk’s personality is best defined as swagger! He’s very smug,” Jeff says. “He looks into the camera, stares into your eyes, and chomps away like, ‘Yeah, it’s me. I’m the one eating your vegetables. What are you gonna do about it?’”
With that kind of confidence, it’s no wonder viewers fell in love with him. But it wasn’t just Chunk’s bravado that made him a star – it was his pickiness, too. “The funniest thing is that he does not like peppers,” Jeff laughs. “He will go around and eat everything up except for peppers, so I decided to make some hot sauce.”
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Coexisting with Nature
At first, Jeff found Chunk’s presence exasperating as he watched his crops disappear, bite by bite. But over time, his perspective shifted and instead of fighting against nature, he decided to work with it – and he was soon joined by Chunk's family, including his girlfriend, Nibbles.
“Having Chunk in my life has taught me how to coexist with wildlife in the garden,” he explains. “This is their land too. They’re just trying to survive. So what it taught me most is to share.”
That realization didn’t just change Jeff’s outlook – it changed his entire gardening approach. Rather than trying to build an impenetrable fortress around his garden, he found a smarter way to protect his plants while allowing wildlife to exist alongside them.
A Smarter Way to Garden
Initially, Jeff tried every trick he could think of to keep groundhogs out – digging deep fences, building higher barriers, reinforcing the perimeter. Nothing worked.
“No matter what you do – how deep you dig, how high you build the fence – the groundhog will get in,” he admits. That’s when he had an epiphany: instead of protecting the garden as a whole, he needed to protect the plants individually.
“If you secure the perimeter and they break in, it’s a field day,” he explains. “So what I’ve learned is that I have to secure the plants individually – protecting the runners or the main stem. If you protect the main runner all the way through its life, the plant will survive.”
A surprising discovery? Chunk and his groundhog family were actually helping, not just taking. “By eating the leaves, they’re actually pruning for us,” Jeff says. “As long as we can protect the main runner, they can chew the leaves and the low-hanging fruit all day, and in the end, it’s actually helping us.”
Chunk’s Lesson for Gardeners
Jeff’s journey with Chunk is more than just a funny viral story – it’s a lesson in balance. Nature isn’t the enemy of the garden; it’s part of it.
“I’ve effectively changed the way I do a garden for the betterment of wildlife,” he says. “I still get my share. They get their share. Everybody’s happy.”
And if Chunk could talk? Jeff has no doubt what he’d say. “Hey man, thanks for the veggies!”
Sharing the Love
Jeff’s lighthearted approach to gardening has resonated with thousands of fans who follow Chunk’s adventures online. “People absolutely adore Chunk,” he says. “They come to Chunk’s socials – YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok – for a daily laugh or distraction from life.”
For some, that distraction is more meaningful than just a funny video. “I often get messages from people saying they’ve had the worst day or week, and then they watched a Chunk video and felt better,” Jeff says. “Hearing that Chunk has made a change in someone’s day makes it extra rewarding for me to post every single day.”
And post he does – without fail, for the past seven years. Because to Jeff, Chunk isn’t just a mischievous groundhog. He’s a friend, and proof that – whether veggies or a good laugh – it’s good to share.
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