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Mole in my veg bed

Hi all,
Ive just been outside tending to my seedling in the beds and noticed the soil moving! I can see a mole tunneling around the veg bed.
Is this an issue? Will he eat my veg? At the moment the soil disturbance is toppling my tiny carrots and leeks.  :s

Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    He won't eat your veg but his tunnels will damage the roots if he carries on ... they will be left dangling to dry and wither in the tunnels rather than being firmly bedded in the moist soil.  

    It's not a problems I've ever had to deal with in a garden 🤞 but I think my first move would be to try to stick a hosepipe into the tunnel and give him a bath ... hopefully he's not keen on an indoor swimming pool and he'll move on elsewhere ... 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Bee witchedBee witched Posts: 1,295
    You could try @pansyface's tip and poke some cheap pickled onions down the run.

    I do this in my flower borders to give them a big hint to move elsewhere.
    Surprisingly, it really does work  thumbsup  

    Bee x
     image
    Gardener and beekeeper in beautiful Scottish Borders  

    A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime
  • tuffnelljohntuffnelljohn Posts: 284
    Thanks guys, I shall try this.
    What is he after? Its only a standard sized veg bed. He's got a 1 acre field adjacent that he can frollick about in!!

    Perhaps Ill read him some of my poetry - thats always worked as a repellent before!  :(
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    He’s looking for worms. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • tuffnelljohntuffnelljohn Posts: 284
    He’s looking for worms. 
    Oh I see, yes of course. Unfortunately for me hes going to find lots of worms in there - I put it in lots of lovely well-rotted manure and compost.  :s
  • PosyPosy Posts: 3,601
    Your veg bed is full of well-tilled and manured soil which has worms and is easy to dig through. The field is probably compacted and relatively low in worms. I expect you water it in dry times and it drains well in wet periods, too. Perfect. It's ironic that of all the pests, moles have no interest in your plants, yet they cause terrible damage. If the pickles don't work you may have to call in a mole catcher.
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