Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Carollan on November 08, 2012, 19:06

Title: Do voles eat leeks
Post by: Carollan on November 08, 2012, 19:06

Is it voles?
I thought they didn`t like leeks.
Thats all I have left pretty much for the winter,with a few kale plants.All beetroot nibbled.
The sprouts are being eaten by voles or slugs as soon as they are formed.

I saw a small hole by 2 what I thought were squashed  under foot leeks.
I tried to put them upright and they came away in my hand.
There were no leeks in the holes.I excavated the holes and they were joined by a tunnel about 3 inches down.

 :(

Have you come across this devastation?

I am trying to get OH to make a cage going down into the soil 6 inches and coming up another 6 above soil level.Will this work to save the rest of my leeks?

Any other vole deterrent activity ideas would be welcome  :)

Title: Re: Do voles eat leeks
Post by: sunshineband on November 08, 2012, 19:39

I'm sorry to say voles will eat anything, and so will rats

Small holes are more likely to be voles --- we get them all over our plot and they are a d@mn nuisance tbh

Title: Re: Do voles eat leeks
Post by: Carollan on November 08, 2012, 20:05

thanks sunshineband,I`ll hunt around for some way of getting rid of some of them,I put down a live mouse/vole catcher with peanut butter.fingers crossed  ;)

Title: Re: Do voles eat leeks
Post by: sunshineband on November 08, 2012, 21:22

I have several live traps which I pput down as soon as I arrive at the plot, usually baited with raspberries, or nuts/ seeds

I check them after a couple of hours and never leave the plot with them still set


I have 'rehomed' families full of voles so far, all to a nice long way off

Title: Re: Do voles eat leeks
Post by: arugula on November 09, 2012, 06:32

Its odd, the voles leave our leeks alone.... ::)

Title: Re: Do voles eat leeks
Post by: sunshineband on November 09, 2012, 07:13

Quote from: arugula on November 09, 2012, 06:32

Its odd, the voles leave our leeks alone.... ::)

Mabe they have plenty else to eat first, arugula  :lol:

Title: Re: Do voles eat leeks
Post by: arugula on November 09, 2012, 07:17

Quote from: sunshineband on November 09, 2012, 07:13

Quote from: arugula on November 09, 2012, 06:32

Its odd, the voles leave our leeks alone.... ::)

Mabe they have plenty else to eat first, arugula  :lol:

Yes, I think that's exactly it! ::)  :lol:

Title: Re: Do voles eat leeks
Post by: sunshineband on November 09, 2012, 07:19

Quote from: arugula on November 09, 2012, 07:17

Quote from: sunshineband on November 09, 2012, 07:13

Quote from: arugula on November 09, 2012, 06:32

Its odd, the voles leave our leeks alone.... ::)

Mabe they have plenty else to eat first, arugula  :lol:

Yes, I think that's exactly it! ::)  :lol:

Perhaps we should distract the voles from our crops with sunflowers seeds (which they love)  :lol: :lol:

Title: Re: Do voles eat leeks
Post by: arugula on November 09, 2012, 07:29

Quote from: sunshineband on November 09, 2012, 07:19

Perhaps we should distract the voles from our crops with sunflowers seeds (which they love)  :lol: :lol:

Well that would be one obvious thing here as I leave the flower heads around once they are done, mainly intended for the wild birds who in turn in the main totally ignore them!  :lol:

Title: Re: Do voles eat leeks
Post by: Salmo on November 09, 2012, 08:12

You could try loosening the soil with a fork either side of the row to disrupt any vole tunnels.

Never heard of them eating leeks like that but usually find beetroot/carrot/parsnip neatly hollowed out by the end of the Winter.

Title: Re: Do voles eat leeks
Post by: Carollan on November 12, 2012, 20:58

ah Salmo,did I forget to mention they already ate 2 rows of beetroot?

we have caught 4 mice so far,not voles.so maybe I was wrong
we let them loose a mile away on the other side of the canal
apparently,speaking with an small animal owner,when you let them loose `humanely`  this way,it isn`t,they die anyway.........

 :(