The intention of this topic is to exchange info about issues involving Merrimack gardening/farming/agriculture.
Here's the first topic: Voles. Voles are eating the heck out of my potatoes. I've never had problems with them before because we always have several snakes in the garden, but this year our snakes are gone and the voles have moved in. I've tried spraying 'Repels All', sprinkling castor oil granules, and installing a sonic sound thing. No luck. Now we have mouse traps set all over the potato and herb areas, baited with peanut butter and set under flower pots, and we've caught just two voles. Someone suggested sprinkling cayenne down their holes, but I haven't tried that yet. So... anybody have any insight into how to get rid of voles?
Topic #2: Snakes. Where did my snakes go? Why? What can I do to bring them back? My dog is dead, I have no cat, I use no chemicals on the garden, I still cover my manure pile with a tarp, which is where they always seemed to be hanging out in previous years. So what changed? I did rearrange some rock walls around my herb garden where they frequently lived so that disturbed them, but are they that fussy that they'd leave entirely rather than just adjust to the new location of the wall?
Any help with either topic would be greatly appreciated.
(PS: I've read that late blight is being found in Connecticut, so watch your tomatoes. I don't know how to combat it, but I guess I'll learn if it hits my garden.)