Glad you have voles and not rats - much easier to live with! I applaud your sentiments in wanting to give the voles a small area to call home but can I suggest you try to make it as far away from the 'tastier' veg as you possibly can? Due to local conditions I use raised beds to grow veg and strawberries. I can net against the pigeons and squirrels but I have yet to find a way to stop the resident vole population from burrowing up from underneath and eating the produce.
I wouldn't mind so much if they ate a whole strawberry - but they take a single bite from about 10 instead. I look at my row of seemingly perfect beetroot or carrots and go to pull them only to find they've been chomped from below. So far they have not touched salad stuff, peas & beans (once germinated that is - somebody likes the seeds), alliums or potatoes.
I have learned to grow an extra row of the tempting crops for my family of voles. They are quite cute though
Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
Uh oh, thanks for the advice Topbird, I'm certain that my best intentions would soon be tested if I found my strawberries being used as a buffet!! I'm hoping my clearing and digging (and soon to be mowing!) will let the gang know I'm moving in, the allotment had been untouched for at least 2 years so they have had free reign. I'm planning on starting out with peas, beans, salad, courgettes and toms - so no root veg for them to chomp on the sly.. What a great idea to grow an extra row, the local population must love you! Only time will tell how I'll get along with my gang.. watch this space!
Like you I have holes in my allotment, mine are mice and rats, these have been seen.Last year they had a field day climbing up the sweet corn and even eating purple sprouting.hoping this year will be different best of luck.
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Hi Just Jen
Glad you have voles and not rats - much easier to live with! I applaud your sentiments in wanting to give the voles a small area to call home but can I suggest you try to make it as far away from the 'tastier' veg as you possibly can? Due to local conditions I use raised beds to grow veg and strawberries. I can net against the pigeons and squirrels but I have yet to find a way to stop the resident vole population from burrowing up from underneath and eating the produce.
I wouldn't mind so much if they ate a whole strawberry - but they take a single bite from about 10 instead. I look at my row of seemingly perfect beetroot or carrots and go to pull them only to find they've been chomped from below. So far they have not touched salad stuff, peas & beans (once germinated that is - somebody likes the seeds), alliums or potatoes.
I have learned to grow an extra row of the tempting crops for my family of voles. They are quite cute though
Uh oh, thanks for the advice Topbird, I'm certain that my best intentions would soon be tested if I found my strawberries being used as a buffet!! I'm hoping my clearing and digging (and soon to be mowing!) will let the gang know I'm moving in, the allotment had been untouched for at least 2 years so they have had free reign. I'm planning on starting out with peas, beans, salad, courgettes and toms - so no root veg for them to chomp on the sly.. What a great idea to grow an extra row, the local population must love you! Only time will tell how I'll get along with my gang.. watch this space!
Hi Just Jen,
Like you I have holes in my allotment, mine are mice and rats, these have been seen.Last year they had a field day climbing up the sweet corn and even eating purple sprouting.hoping this year will be different best of luck.