We're looking forward to next year's asparagus. The bed (raised) will
have been in place 5 years and we should get a decent crop. Except ....
yesterday I spotted a hole in the soil. Then another. Soon I realised
the bed is like a piece of Ementhal! I set an experimental trap (don't
worry .... it was a Longworth type) and this morning got what I expected
- a wood mouse.

I'm loath to trap them all and try and clear them, preferring the owls
do the work. I hope the cats stay away as they are a real pain. The
question is ... do wood mice eat the roots, nascent shoots of asparagus
or generally do damage. I suspect the answer is "Yes!" in which case
there is a problem. But advice would be welcome.

Thanks.
--
Gopher .... I know my place!

On Sun, 23 Nov 2008 18:55:52 +0000, Gopher wrote:

We're looking forward to next year's asparagus. The bed (raised) will
have been in place 5 years and we should get a decent crop. Except ....
yesterday I spotted a hole in the soil. Then another. Soon I realised
the bed is like a piece of Ementhal! I set an experimental trap (don't
worry .... it was a Longworth type) and this morning got what I expected
- a wood mouse.

I'm loath to trap them all and try and clear them, preferring the owls
do the work. I hope the cats stay away as they are a real pain. The
question is ... do wood mice eat the roots, nascent shoots of asparagus
or generally do damage. I suspect the answer is "Yes!" in which case
there is a problem. But advice would be welcome.

I cannot answer your question but you have got me worried. Nothing
has ever dug in my asparagus bed, to my knowledge, but I have just
moved some plants and planted new ones on a new (smaller) allotment.
I had the best crop even this year, so am hoping these will not be
attacked. I shall watch them carefully.
Are you sure it wasn't a gopher?!

Pam in Bristol

"Pam Moore" wrote after...
Gopher wrote:

We're looking forward to next year's asparagus. The bed (raised) will
have been in place 5 years and we should get a decent crop. Except ....
yesterday I spotted a hole in the soil. Then another. Soon I realised
the bed is like a piece of Ementhal! I set an experimental trap (don't
worry .... it was a Longworth type) and this morning got what I expected
- a wood mouse.

I'm loath to trap them all and try and clear them, preferring the owls
do the work. I hope the cats stay away as they are a real pain. The
question is ... do wood mice eat the roots, nascent shoots of asparagus
or generally do damage. I suspect the answer is "Yes!" in which case
there is a problem. But advice would be welcome.

I cannot answer your question but you have got me worried. Nothing
has ever dug in my asparagus bed, to my knowledge, but I have just
moved some plants and planted new ones on a new (smaller) allotment.
I had the best crop even this year, so am hoping these will not be
attacked. I shall watch them carefully.
Are you sure it wasn't a gopher?!


Strange happenings, we have had our Garlic shoots eaten and some of the
bulbs pulled out of the ground and eaten! Before this year I would have said
nothing eats or attacks Garlic.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden

In message , Pam Moore
writes
On Sun, 23 Nov 2008 18:55:52 +0000, Gopher wrote:

We're looking forward to next year's asparagus. The bed (raised) will
have been in place 5 years and we should get a decent crop. Except ....
yesterday I spotted a hole in the soil. Then another. Soon I realised
the bed is like a piece of Ementhal! I set an experimental trap (don't
worry .... it was a Longworth type) and this morning got what I expected
- a wood mouse.

I'm loath to trap them all and try and clear them, preferring the owls
do the work. I hope the cats stay away as they are a real pain. The
question is ... do wood mice eat the roots, nascent shoots of asparagus
or generally do damage. I suspect the answer is "Yes!" in which case
there is a problem. But advice would be welcome.

I cannot answer your question but you have got me worried. Nothing
has ever dug in my asparagus bed, to my knowledge, but I have just
moved some plants and planted new ones on a new (smaller) allotment.
I had the best crop even this year, so am hoping these will not be
attacked. I shall watch them carefully.
Are you sure it wasn't a gopher?!

Pam in Bristol

Thank you Pam, but I'm certain neither I nor my tribe had anything to do
with this :-))

--
Gopher .... I know my place!

In article ,
Gopher wrote:
We're looking forward to next year's asparagus. The bed (raised) will
have been in place 5 years and we should get a decent crop. Except ....
yesterday I spotted a hole in the soil. Then another. Soon I realised
the bed is like a piece of Ementhal! I set an experimental trap (don't
worry .... it was a Longworth type) and this morning got what I expected
- a wood mouse.

I'm loath to trap them all and try and clear them, preferring the owls
do the work. I hope the cats stay away as they are a real pain. The
question is ... do wood mice eat the roots, nascent shoots of asparagus
or generally do damage. I suspect the answer is "Yes!" in which case
there is a problem. But advice would be welcome.

They aren't exactly rare! And, yes, they may eat such things, but
will also eat quite a lot of insects. It's marginal.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 2008-11-23 22:51:38 +0000, "Bob Hobden" said:


"Pam Moore" wrote after...
Gopher wrote:

We're looking forward to next year's asparagus. The bed (raised) will
have been in place 5 years and we should get a decent crop. Except ....
yesterday I spotted a hole in the soil. Then another. Soon I realised
the bed is like a piece of Ementhal! I set an experimental trap (don't
worry .... it was a Longworth type) and this morning got what I expected
- a wood mouse.

I'm loath to trap them all and try and clear them, preferring the owls
do the work. I hope the cats stay away as they are a real pain. The
question is ... do wood mice eat the roots, nascent shoots of asparagus
or generally do damage. I suspect the answer is "Yes!" in which case
there is a problem. But advice would be welcome.

I cannot answer your question but you have got me worried. Nothing
has ever dug in my asparagus bed, to my knowledge, but I have just
moved some plants and planted new ones on a new (smaller) allotment.
I had the best crop even this year, so am hoping these will not be
attacked. I shall watch them carefully.
Are you sure it wasn't a gopher?!


Strange happenings, we have had our Garlic shoots eaten and some of the
bulbs pulled out of the ground and eaten! Before this year I would have said
nothing eats or attacks Garlic.

Yes, my garlic and much else was nibbled at but my adjoining new
asparagus bed, which is flourishing and totally unprotected, hasn't
been tasted by anything (including me) since April. Since we have all
manner of wildlife here including many resident rabbits, field mice,
wood mice, voles, moles, stoats, rats, foxes, badgers, etc, etc, I have
concluded that my three asparagus varieties are toxic to predators.