We have rats where we live too.

Word of advice - don't plant vegetables too close to the alley that's where the rats are. They're living off the garbage in the bins. Most homes in our area are single family but they're being occupied by 2 or 3 immigrant families who produce too much garbage for one container. Add to that most of time is isn't bagged either so it's like a feeding feast for the rats.

If rats are a problem - you need to get after your neighbors about not leaving the lids open and proper bagging and if that fails call your local code enforcement or streets and sanitation on them.

You might also have squirrels eating the vegetables. I had that happen as well.

Rats are highly intelligent but they don't like people so I'd say plant closer to the house or apartment. Otherwise, you could try covering your vegetables with bird netting and see if that helps.

The other thing they love besides garbage is dog feces - so keeping that cleaned up helps with the problem as well.

Hope this helps,

I live in a rowhouse in a co-op community that requires garbage cans to be covered and homeowners to pick up after their dogs. For the most part, people follow the rules. Yet we still have gigantic rats, and plenty of them.

I just moved in last autumn, so I haven't had to deal with this problem yet. But something happened right after I'd moved in to make me wary.

My next-door neighbor, who I'd been warned was, hmmm, unbalanced, had a beautiful cantaloupe patch. It was just reaching its peak when I came home one day and saw that he'd ripped out the entire patch. In the bare square of dirt, he'd instead planted a sign advertising a tent revival.

I thought, "Oh no, he's off his meds!"

Later, he told me that he'd seen a big rat in the patch, so he tore the whole thing out. I didn't know whether to be relieved or upset!

I'm planning on tomatoes and peppers, which I hope will not provide a lot of cover for vermin. I was going to have strawberries, but I think that might be a bad idea. I'd hate to have to follow my neighbor's example and rip out a beautiful, productive patch right at its peak.

Yeah,

Once the rats are in it's really hard to get them out. The dumbells down at our Townhall had the brilliant idea couple of years ago to start tearing down a whole section of vacant factories and warehouses without first baiting.

Guess where rats went - right into the neighborhood. And they've moved south to our part of town since then.

Covered bait boxes can help - we have them affixed about every 20 feet in the alley. Some people attach them with cabling to the fence as well throughout the yard.

Maybe try setting one near where you intend to plant your vegetables. If you have pets make sure it's a covered one.