I went out to do a garden check-up today and a little weeding. I've been weeding all week, as dozens of tiny weeds have sprung up all over the soft soil in my raised beds. But more about that later.
Weeds, I can deal with. The newest residents in my garden are far more destructive, and I started noticing signs of them earlier this week: A couple of pea vines chewed off at the roots. Loose soil. Starting today, however, I found my garden riddled with holes, and tunnels squished wherever I stepped; half the carrots were no longer firmly rooted. Moles.
I started looking passively into the reviews of mole traps online, but after this morning, I knew it was time to take the leap. Sonic repellants had gotten poor reviews, and organic gardening ruled out poison. A book on companion gardening, Louis Riotte's Carrots Love Tomatoes, recommended castor bean plants, but the warning about their extreme toxicity were not comforting, especially since I have pets. The trap reviews seemed frankly bloodthirsty - one gave a detailed chronology of each and every mole killed. I opted for the only one at Home Depot. Thankfully it was not one of the tube-shaped options which requires inserting directly into the mole tunnel. It was super-easy to set, and I hope it is equally easy to take care of my mole problem. I never thought that I'd be someone to kill an animal so complacently, so we'll see how I feel if I actually catch one. I'll certainly feel better if I don't have to see the holes in my garden anymore, however!
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