Identifying the culprit is the first step to getting on top of the problem, and Tino shares his top tips to stop wildlife from completely annihilating your veggie garden.
RATS & MICE
Tino suspects there is a rat living in his compost bin. How does he know? There’s a telltale rat-sized hole at the base of his compost bin. Rats and mice love compost and will mow down tender seedlings, chew on roots, vegetables, and fruit. They will even eat your organic fertiliser pellets! You can tell if a rat is chewing on your citrus from the teeth marks. They will also chew on hard surfaces like timber garden beds and tree trunks. You can also tell if they have been around from their droppings as well as their smelly urine. Follow your nose!
Small rodents will often trace the same pathways around your garden, so move pots around regularly, and remove any water sources. This can help discourage their routine and prevent nesting in undisturbed nooks.
Secure your compost by placing it on a harder surface, use wire around or underneath the bins. Or dig plastic compost bins into the ground. To prevent destruction to newly planted seedlings, place a cage or cover over your seedlings, and dig it into the ground a little bit. Ensure there is enough room for the seedlings to grow, and once they are a bit more mature they will be less palatable to the rats.
POSSUMS
Common brushtail possums are found in all our urban areas and are protected native animals, so it is important not to hurt them. They tend to eat everything in the patch! But Tino has noticed they prefer to munch on flowers and fruit, compared to rats.
Netting your fruit trees and shrubs is a simple and effective way to deter possums, birds, and even insects if the mesh is small enough. Build a simple structure and keep the mesh nice and taught, peg the base down to prevent snakes and lizards from getting caught up in it. Make sure your mesh is white—most is these days—so that animals can see it clearly, and you can easily spot if any animals have been caught up within it to let them go.
KANGAROOS & WALLABIES
These larger animals can easily push over weak structures, so if they are a regular visitor to your garden, make sure to build your defences strong and sturdy. Tino demonstrates how he uses reinforcing mesh and bar, along with metal pickets to create cages in any size or shape you need to protect your tender seedlings.
Kangaroos and wallabies also love to graze on lawns, so keep your veggie patches far away from the lawn. You could even try planting native plants as a buffer between your vegies and the lawn, to encourage the ‘roos to feast on their natural food source instead of yours.
BIRDS OF PREY
You can encourage birds of prey, the natural predators of rats and mice, by increasing tree canopy cover and nesting space around your garden. This is a win for the birds, and for you!
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