Ideas for repelling rats and mice in tomato garden?

10 years ago

I live in Los Angeles where, like it or not, like many cities, we have rodents. We have rats and mice. I grew tomatoes for many years and was lucky not to attract them. But a few years ago they found my garden. For the past few years I have lost a fair amount of my crop to the darn critters. My property is very clean and well maintained but once those tomatoes appear the critters come to feast. This year I already have one of my plants gnawed at the base by little teeth... I'm guessing a rat (although I didn't know that they chewed on plants too) I have tried everything from bait traps to snap traps to high frequency sound repellents to fox urine. I even built a 9' high cage around the garden last year and they still got through. Does anyone have other ideas that I may not have tried for getting rid of or repelling rats?

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Comments (4)

williammorgan
10 years ago
Last year mice got into my greenhouse which was next to a woodpile where they were living. I had weed block down and they started living in there. I think i must of stepped on one of them because oh what a stink lol. Then I put a spearmint plant in there. Now i don't know if one spearmint plant deterred them or my presence but I hear they don't like mint. Mint can grow like a weed too.
ladon
Original Author
10 years ago
My fear would be that the mint would take over. Once those roots get going it's tough to get rid of the stuff. But maybe planting it in pots could be a possibility.
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seysonn
10 years ago
Poison bait, and traps are the answer I have.
williammorgan
10 years ago
Yeah I was going to suggest that because it shoots out runners like lemon balm. Some times plants can do amazing things. Had a dirty pond, threw some straw on top...clear pond. Had mosquitoes...tossed a shovel full of lemon balm on top and the vampires went away.

I'm on one site right now and it says peppermint oil. They also mention ammonia soaked cloth.

Of course I left out the obvious choice a cat.