When walking through my gardens all seems so lovely…
Blueberries are blooming…
Spinach is up and thriving…
Chives are a bloomin’!
Yet there is trouble in paradise, let’s go over to the pea patch…
I have critter issues…I’m presuming the are field mice, which would be appropriate since we live in the middle of a big former cow pasture! They seem to love peas the most (although I have seen them cut off a tomato seedling and try to pull it down their hole!)
In years past I have tried keeping mouse traps around the garden, they were very effective but I can not tell you how much I hated taking the little corpses out of the traps, discarding of the bodies, bating and resetting the traps.
This year I hung these on the pea fence hoping the racket would keep them at bay…
They were effective keeping the birds from getting the pea seeds but as you can see by the arrow that the mice weren’t bothered at all by them.
Our cat is a good mouse but with 10 acres to patrol he only is marginally effective on the garden area.
Besides he tends to poop in the new beds…yuck!
So here is my question this morning…any of you have some advice on how to deal with mice in the garden?
Kim can also be found at the inadvertent farmer where she is raising organic fruits, veggies, critters, kids, and…a camel!
I have no advice but if you have any solutions other than fencing to keep the sweet little darlings (cats) from pooping in the garden beds please pass it along. Have a great day.
I use live traps in the chicken coop. You can catch lots of mice at once but then you have to figure out how to get rid of them live. Don’t know how live traps would work in the garden. In the coop I put them under feed bags or along the wall.
I haven’t looked this up, so I don’t know if there’s a reason this would be a bad idea, but you might consider brewing up a strong hot pepper spray and coating the seedlings with that. Maybe the ground around them too. I dunno. Just thinkin’ and typin’ here…
It works for other things, maybe mice…
I don’t have mice trouble but chipmunk trouble. I’ve had great luck with a chipmunk swimming pool. I bet that using Eliot Coleman’s vole trap would work for mice as well. There are detailed instructions in his book: The Winter Harvest Handbook
I have the book…I’m going to go look. Thanks! Kim
Get a live trap like ET was saying, except give the mice to someone with a pet snake.
Susy, I’m curious about the chipmunk swimming pool. How does that work?
My son used to have a pet snake…I told him about your answer and he though it was a super idea! Kim
would they be deterred by things that deter rabbits? my mom says to use blood meal sprinkled around beds to scare off rabbits – maybe for mice, too? i’ve also been told used cat litter (or other predator urine smelling thing, gross…) can be sprinkled around to keep rabbits away.
I wondered about that too…I’m going to have to do some more research, Kim
I just read on the ALBC website about the buckeye breed of chicken. Evidently it is crazy about catching and eating mice! http://www.albc-usa.org/cpl/buckeye.html
Amy I just read your link…very interesting. I wonder if I let a few of these free range over the garden in the winter if they could keep the mice population down. Interesting! Thanks for the link, Kim
My parents’ hens love dead mice from their traps and I’ve seen both hen and cockerel chase a live mouse for the pleasure of eating it! They have a mixture of Marans and hybrids.
Peppermint!! Mice hate peppermint. I have dropped cotton balls down mice tunnels soaked in peppermint oil. I have also made peppermint leaf “tea” and watered areas of activity.