Bean trench & rat problem

My planned area for the French Beans is currently a well planned mining operation by the Rio Tinto Rat Tunelling Corporation.

The beans I put in get thrown out by the rats who see it as their territory.

I've got to relocate where the beans are going but the only available space now is hard clay full of broken glass, stones, pots & nails. Not ideal.

Budget is none existant, washing machine just packed in:DOH: So i'm going to have to make use of what I can lay my hands on to fill another bean trench that won't be of interest to the rats.

Things I have to hand :

Grass clippings,
Nettles,
Weeds,
Oak Chippings,
Pile of unrotted leaves from January,
Fresh Elm leaves,
Straw gathered from the side of the road (tractors snag the hedges)

Am I flogging a dead horse here ? (hmm, dead horse in trench... No, that would attract rats)

 

what about old newspaper - thats a good thing to help retain water

Loopy

 

All of those. Newspaper will hold the watter, I like your idea of getting free straw.

 

Ooo, thats a good thought Loopy, didn't think of that one

Give you an idea about what the "soil" is like,



Half a rubble sack of rubbish just picked off the surface after watering:DOH:

 

Only thing that concerns me there is if its been sprayed with a selective homicide.

 

Oooooh, loverly 'stone mulch', nice and organic!

What you doing about those rats? Having hens I use traps in tunnels + cage traps + PCP rifle, etc.

Has anyone else noticed the absence of 'free newspapers/car sales mags/etc.' outside supermarkets these days, as they used to be a good source of free mulch?

 

Ziggy, is that from Somerset soil? Because there looks to be some Samianware in there.

 

You just had me outside checking it there Dai:D

No, nothing pre 20th Century. Never known a site with no Archaeology before, there was just nothing here (at this end of the village) before Victorian times.

 

Got a cage trap but being next to a game farm with food all over the floor its a bit of a loosing battle.

 

Cheers John,

Its only straw at the moment. At the height of summer its strewn along the roadsides here.

Just thought of another resource, pheasant poo from the game farm behind us, will go and barter with the farmer tomorow

 

There is John, all taken at the moment, there was a little bit left but mostly straw. Everyone else wants money for it.

Have lined the trench with newspaper, swept up all the newly fallen leaves (theres a quercus opposite that drops its leaves in may) thrown all the weeds in & will see the farmer about the peasant poo tommorow

 

No wife under it, thought that might attract rats and the justice system:DOH:

 

On the subject of rats, one got into my greenhouse a several years or so ago and gnawed at my daughter's old potty that was kept in there (as it's next to our garage and was still useful for emergencies on long journeys and always taken on camping trips).

Remembering her Little Grey Rabbit book where the party invitations had RSVP (Rats Shan't Visit Party) on them, she shouted "Rats shan't visit potty". I'm really proud of her sense of humour.

Came back from the plot from covering up spuds (frost forecast here this evening) and found her wearing a beret doing her French GCSE revision for exams tomorrow.