Rats

h4nn4h

On one side of our house we have neighbors (another single family home like ours) with animals and more than one avocardo tree which that are not kept up a lot (by that I mean trimming and picking fruit). On the other side we have an apt complex. That has maybe 6-10 apts. and their bins sometimes are over filled and lids can't close. As a consequence rats are in the area and can sometimes at night be seen running on the walls of our garden perimeter and telephone wires. They have yet to try to come into ours yet but I'd rather perturb them before they try (we grow veggies too and I don't want the disgusting buggers thieving our veggies). But also my sil is staying and she saw them outside on the walls and can't handle it. So does anyone know any tricks to keep them out of our garden and away?

Monkeybabe

I was thinking cat, too, but if you want to keep them out of your garden, I guess outdoor cats are a little harder to contain.

h4nn4h

I'd have a whole hoard of cats or a dog but I'm not allowed. I know its funny sounding but there's more to the sil can't handle it thing.

lollitots

Yuck. I live next to a wilderness park with a lot of underbrush, so they come with the territory here. I also see them on the back fence but we haven't had any indoors. I will make DH move if they move in. 

I had vector control out to see if they would bait for them (they do since they carry diseases). They also recommended cutting low brush back off the house, putting snail bait (a favorite food source apparently) and making sure any entry holes more than a quarter were sealed. They left pamphlet with the neighbors too. Nasty things did get some of my tomatoes. We had to put wire mesh over the garden one year. Ultimately, baiting with dicon (sp?) and killing them off is what worked.

NotSharknado

sgreen13 said:

I want an avocado tree.

That's all I came away with. Guacamole errrrday.

CinemaGoddess

Maybe it's Peter Pettigrew.  

h4nn4h

shanado said:

sgreen13 said:

I want an avocado tree.

That's all I came away with. Guacamole errrrday.

That's what thought till I learnt they attact rats (apparently it's a known thing, I'm not making assumptions based on the presence of them. I was told before I saw them). And their avocardos don't ripen very well. Sometimes they hang over our side and they go from tiny rocks to rotten over night.

h4nn4h

CinemaGoddess said:

Maybe it's Peter Pettigrew.  

Then I'd be more creeped out than my sil. Lol

h4nn4h

sgreen13 said:

@shanado @MabelShesTheBomb

Along with guac you gotta make a BLT w/ avocado and roasted jalapeno. Delish!

Seriously, I think I'm in zone 7. Could I have an avocado tree?

I have no idea I'm in so cal and I don't see a lot of nice avocado fruit on it. My dh says it's not trimmed enough and they are not ripening properly. I know they grow them in nor cal area more for supermarkets etc.

h4nn4h

Joyce+Mike said:

Yuck. I live next to a wilderness park with a lot of underbrush, so they come with the territory here. I also see them on the back fence but we haven't had any indoors. I will make DH move if they move in. 

I had vector control out to see if they would bait for them (they do since they carry diseases). They also recommended cutting low brush back off the house, putting snail bait (a favorite food source apparently) and making sure any entry holes more than a quarter were sealed. They left pamphlet with the neighbors too. Nasty things did get some of my tomatoes. We had to put wire mesh over the garden one year. Ultimately, baiting with dicon (sp?) and killing them off is what worked.

It's interesting that they ate your Tommy's. This is what I am worried about. But when I googled plants that deter rats they said they hate tomato plant leaves. Another case of don't believe google lol. We don't have much in terms of plants in our garden. One climbing plant on one wall and then two Tommy's and a zucchini plant in planters next to a potted lemon tree on our patio. Did have a lavender plant in the bed by avocado neighbors but their sons flattened it sneezing into our back garden the first year we moved in.

Monkeybabe

I'm pretty sure they're mostly grown in SoCal. Though, I'm from NorCal, so what I consider SoCal, and what, like, L.A considers SoCal are two different things.

h4nn4h

I'm in la. I was understanding we are so cal. But on our way up to San Fran for a trip all the farmers selling avocado on stalls were more north. I dunno. Perhaps dh is right. One is literally covering part of their roof . I've only noticed them trim them once. In two years. I guess they could be doing it more and I don't notice.

Monkeybabe

I just meant that I consider SLO SoCal, but my ILs in L.A consider anything north of the Tehachapis NorCal, lol.

Edit: I'm from so far north that I break that state into thirds. I consider The Bay central Cali.

h4nn4h

Monkeybabe said:

I just meant that I consider SLO SoCal, but my ILs in L.A consider anything north of the Tehachapis NorCal, lol.

Edit: I'm from so far north that I break that state into thirds. I consider The Bay central Cali.

Well I am really English so you trump me in knowledge/accuracy anyway. I don't even know what or where a tehachapis is lol

I still don't know most of my local area and I have lived here for 4 years now almost 5. Just because I can't drive.

I've been taken places and I don't know where the hell they were. Was def not a pigeon in a previous life. Lol

Monkeybabe

h4nn4h said:

I just meant that I consider SLO SoCal, but my ILs in L.A consider anything north of the Tehachapis NorCal, lol.

Edit: I'm from so far north that I break that state into thirds. I consider The Bay central Cali.

Well I am really English so you trump me in knowledge/accuracy anyway. I don't even know what or where a tehachapis is lol I still don't know most of my local area and I have lived here for 4 years now almost 5. Just because I can't drive. I've been taken places and I don't know where the hell they were. Was def not a pigeon in a previous life. Lol

That explains a lot. Based on your posts, I was very surprised when you said you were in SoCal. I was expecting you to be somewhere outside the U.S.