Cats.... several of them who are already "outside" cats. Get them their shots, keep them groomed and healthy. Feed them so they do not eat the rats - just collect them for play. Wire over the beds so they don't use the growing areas as bathrooms.
Prevention: wire the beds underneath just like you'd do for gophers. Bring the wire up and over the entire bed and attach to the other side where you've left a tall (12 inches) "ledge" from the underground wire. Of course, if you've already built the beds, this may not be feasible. If you log-on to your local university extension office, they can provide some non-toxic products. Most effective approach but costly, at least in the beginning... hire a rodent control company to reduce the number of rats, getting them under control so the cats can take over catching them. Regards, Cynthia Jordan UCCE Master Gardener Santa Cruz, CA -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of [email protected] Sent: Wednesday, July 21, 2010 3:39 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [Community_garden] Rats in our Garden A year ago at this time our garden was just a big empty field, so it's not a surprise that we have rats. Especially given all the yummy food growing in it now. But obviously, we'd like to NOT have them. Has anyone else had to deal with this critter? We don't want to use poison because we're an organic garden, have children in the garden, and the fact that if a hawk or owl eats the rat after it's eaten the poison, the bird would also be poisoned. Glue traps seem rather torturous, but I suppose they could be an option. I do worry about catching a bird or other animal accidentally though. Snap traps are also a possibility, as long as they are beneath a wire cage to avoid springing on children's fingers, birds, toads, etc. Have any of these been effective for anyone? Any other suggestions? Thanks in advance! Lori Ferris Garden Manager Unity Park Community Garden Round Rock, TX www.UnityParkCG.org _______________________________________________ The American Community Gardening Association listserve is only one of ACGA's services to community gardeners. To learn more about the ACGA and to find out how to join, please go to http://www.communitygarden.org To post an e-mail to the list: [email protected] To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your subscription: http://list.communitygarden.org/mailman/listinfo/community_garden_list.commu nitygarden.org _______________________________________________ The American Community Gardening Association listserve is only one of ACGA's services to community gardeners. To learn more about the ACGA and to find out how to join, please go to http://www.communitygarden.org To post an e-mail to the list: [email protected] To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your subscription: http://list.communitygarden.org/mailman/listinfo/community_garden_list.communitygarden.org
