I should employ my father in law who loves to go running out of the patio door and chase them off!
Netting would be a faff, definitely, but I might just have to do it until they give up. They've not done it at all in the previous years, not sure what has changed 😔
Did you put a fertiliser on the ground, they will be attracted by the smell. Bone meal or FBB. Other than that, you will either have to make little poly tunnels with the end covered as well, or make some sort of small mesh framework.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
@Lyn I'm not sure I added any FBB I usually only as that to stuff going on containers. I will have just given an inch deep mulch of compost.
It's in a raised bed so I have got wooden side so I might just but a fine mesh and cover it over. I've got one of those nylon garden nets but I think the holes will be too big and they'll get through
I've had this problem for years and it was almost certainly rats. However this year the holes were bigger and it must be the biggest rat of all time. Its hard to see how big your holes are, but I suppose squirrels come under the same category as rats. I'm sure this year mine is either foxes or maybe a stout. So what are they after? I think its compost that's only partially rotted. They are after the worms. I left partially rotted compost on the ground and they don't want to know. It has to be the worms they are after. How to solve? Rats don't like anything changing. Things have to be the same each night. I have had reasonable success by putting big stones where they are digging or leaving the spade out there or just making the terrain look different. It doesn't stop them trying somewhere else but it has had some success. How to get rid of rats? well poisoning is unfortunately the best solution (although these days poison from the shop won't work), but keep a close eye on your cats or dogs, if you put poison down. Dogs will also dig but I doubt its dogs causing your problem.
I'm pretty sure it's not rats. I'm very careful with what I put in my compost heap to make sure I don't encourage any in. I've also not seen any rats at all. Squirrels though, they are everywhere! And I've seen them digging in other parts of the garden plenty of times, just the very patch is not particularly overlooked
Do you put potato peelings in your compost @Latimer ? My brother is a potato farmer ... he maintains that rats will do anything to get at potatoes ... even gnaw at concrete!!!
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
At our other house, the walls were insulated with tiny polystyrene balls, the rats chewed through the concrete and the balls escaped all over the garage floor. They’ll gnaw anything.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
Don't get too uptight about rats, I live in the country and they are everywhere, but even if they really are squirrels, they are after the worms and the best way to stop them is to change the look of the terrain. As I said before put big stones in between vegetables or put steaks in the ground or just leave your spade there for the night. Don't let them get used to it. Change it.
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Netting would be a faff, definitely, but I might just have to do it until they give up. They've not done it at all in the previous years, not sure what has changed 😔
Other than that, you will either have to make little poly tunnels with the end covered as well, or make some sort of small mesh framework.
It's in a raised bed so I have got wooden side so I might just but a fine mesh and cover it over. I've got one of those nylon garden nets but I think the holes will be too big and they'll get through
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Bring serious though, I'm constantly seeing squirrels digging around, especially in the mornings, I'm convinced it's a squirrel issue.
I've also not had any issues in my compost bins with rats at all, no traces of mouse or rats runs at all.