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Ask Gardenerd: Rats and Their Traps

Two questions came in to Ask Gardenerd this week about rats and their traps. Let’s tackle them in order. The first is from Linda Smith:

Corn Fail – Rats Again!

We're growing Glass Gem popping corn this year, but we may not get to see the results because we've got rats again. They're more aggressive than ever this year, probably…

It started as an agreement for peaceful co-habitation. Then it ate half of my Christmas Lima Beans right through the young green pods. Then it pulled out all of my pea sprouts, nibbled on the ends,
and left them for dead.

That’s when we declared war on the rat.

Note the dark lines outlining the eaten area. Now dry, this bean pod was eaten through while green,
leaving the pod empty and the beans devoured.

Prior to this …

Rats in the Garden

A concerned gardener wrote in this week: “Rotten rodents!…I have some rodent, maybe squirrels but more likely rats, that help themselves to whatever is young and tender in the garden.”

Squirrels: Cute and Fuzzy, or Destructive Rats in Pretty Coats

A desperate gardenerd writes in:

“Help! Squirrels are devouring the fruits (or vegetables) of my labor. My sweet little tomatoes, my succulent squash–all gone. They’re cute little animals and all, but they’re not that cute. How can I deter them?”

Alas, I hear your cries. I’ve gone toe-to-toe on a few occasions with our well-dressed woodland friends, and my mother has shared stories of the same decimating her yard as well. They stare defiantly at me (sideways out of one eye) as I threaten them with death, seeming to say, “bring it on.” There are many reported techniques that work – some better than …