Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Growing in Greenhouses & Polytunnels => Topic started by: minnowburn on April 24, 2012, 22:09

Title: Mice
Post by: minnowburn on April 24, 2012, 22:09: Hi all,

Im new to goining this site but looked at it many times and think its great, hope you can help with this one? I have built a new greenhouse at home and now have 3 field mice nesting in it, will they eat my produce? dont want to kill them as they have been in the garden for about 5 years now and like watching them run around, this is the first year ive planted veg at home and a bit concerned, I have a small alotment well away from home that I grow in as a community alotment with the National Trust and its great fun.

Hope someone can advise.

Thanks and best regards

Keith
Title: Re: Mice
Post by: Yorkie on April 24, 2012, 22:11: Welcome to the site :D

I'm going to move this across to Growing in Greenhouses for people to see it there :)
Title: Re: Mice
Post by: shokkyy on April 24, 2012, 23:53: Quote from: minnowburn on April 24, 2012, 22:09

I have built a new greenhouse at home and now have 3 field mice nesting in it, will they eat my produce?

Oh, absolutely :) Last year I lost my entire strawberry crop (8X4 foot bed), parsnip crop and carrot crop to Mr. Mouse. This year they've made a beeline for my pea seeds. I don't kill them. I use box traps dotted around my beds, which are extremely effective, and relocate any captives to a gateway a mile down the lane. But frankly the mouse population in my garden is so big that it doesn't make much of a dent. The only effective way to stop the little critters taking your crop is to make a good barricade around anything on their menu of favourite foods. I'm currently constructing a cage for my strawberry bed and tunnels for my pea seeds and parsnips from 4mm wire mesh.
Title: Re: Mice
Post by: arugula on April 25, 2012, 06:25: As shokkyy says, yes they will eat your crops (they visit our polytunnel) and live trapping would seem to be the way forward if you don't want to kill them. Then if you like to see them in your garden, perhaps you might consider only growing food at your allotment. :)
Title: Re: Mice
Post by: Dopey113 on April 25, 2012, 12:15: A wild mouse will not live for 5 years, at best, 2-3 at tops,
Title: Re: Mice
Post by: arugula on April 25, 2012, 13:23: Quote from: Dopey113 on April 25, 2012, 12:15
A wild mouse will not live for 5 years, at best, 2-3 at tops,

They might have had young by now.... ::)
Title: Re: Mice
Post by: Dopey113 on April 25, 2012, 21:22: Several.... :(
Title: Re: Mice
Post by: minnowburn on April 25, 2012, 21:41: Hi Folks

Many thanks to all who replied, looks like I have to catch them and relocate asap.
Yes they have had young now so five little blighters running round and not afraid of running over my feet in the greenhouse!!

Again many many thanks
Enjoy growing

Keith
Title: Re: Mice
Post by: Agatha on April 30, 2012, 16:13: I have mice in the greenhouse & voles in the veg patch. :( I think the voles are the worst...at least the mice run when they see me. The voles just sit watching me...usually clutching one of my raspberries or carrots in their paws >:(
Title: Re: Mice
Post by: Springlands on April 30, 2012, 16:30: Be careful with your seed packets also - the mice got into my greenhouse and chewed their way through several packets of seeds that I had left lying around. :nowink: