Mice in the garden...

We have a real rodent problem in our yard, and last year we tried EVERYTHING short of calling a professional exterminator. (We don't like the idea of poison in our yard...). We had 3 cats and a mousing dog...ALL which ran away We tried snap traps, bait boxes, yard cleanup, etc. It finally got to the point where we had to tear out the garden, because I was picking tomatoes with mouse droppings on them! This year will be our first year with a square foot garden, with gravel pathways between boxes- and I'm hoping that will help deter the mice since they won't have so many places to burrow. We'll also be trying some natural methods to get rid of them (powdered fox urine, peppermint, traps, a REALLY clean yard, etc) but I still worry that they will take over again! Has anyone out there had a problem like this? Any suggestions of things I could try? I don't want the mice to ruin my garden again this year!

I recommend contacting your local County Extension Service Agriculture Agent and ask their advice.

We had a mouse problem a few years ago, and then we had snakes. They ended the problem and then left.

Our snakes were non-venomous and very effective. They lived under two rocks near the gardens, and they never bothered us. Mice multiply almost as efficiently as rabbits, so you have to do something.

I don't know about your area, but we live with a couple dozen acres of unimproved woods, so we have a multitude of snakes. They will find mice and quickly take care of them.

I know some stores sell fake snakes, but I don't know how effective they are.

I advise against benevolent traps, because if you don't immediately relocate your rodents, they will chew through the plastic. I also would never use poison. I guess you could try one of those metal have-a-heart traps, but you can only catch one at a time that way.

Good luck.

We use this type of trap in our house, it's always "set", and ready to go. I would think it would work in your garden too. We put peanut butter in ours, the mice seem to love it.

http://www.webstaurantstore.com/jt-eaton-420-repeater-multiple-catch-mouse-trap/605JT420GY.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=605JT420GY&utm_campaign=PLA&gclid=CM3SzKbh2bUCFSRxQgodDycA2A

Good luck!!