Gardening and Plant Thread

[Big Miss Steak]

they killed my tomatoes

Try putting cages or wire around your tomatoes. If the rats don't get them, then some other pest probably will.

 

[Gruntgar The Indentured]

they've already scattered poison everywhere

The traditional (and most cost effective) solution is to get a cat.

The cat would inevitably be posioned by eating any poisoned rodents.

Not really if it's in the garden. Yea you might scare off a few rats but you're going to end up with a load of dead birds if you're letting a cat outside. At that point you might as well leave poisons everywhere.

Get one of the smaller live catch traps and have animal control pick up anything you trap. If it's in a rural setting with no AC suck it up and shoot the bastards.

 

[NoReturn]

Legally speaking, is there anything I can do to ask people not to spray pesticide near my place? I've seen some people put up signs saying it's a "native plant preserve" and registered somewhere, but I didn't take a photo.

 

[Anasa Tristis]

how do i get rid of rats coming to my garden and tearing my shit up?

If you're in an area that's simply overrun with the little bastards, there may not be much you can do.

But if it's an isolated situation, get a terrier type dog. They're hardwired to kill rats. Someone I know with a huge rat problem in her hay and chicken coop has a few cats and a terrier mix. They tag team the rats. The cats flush them from tight or high places and get them out on the open, and the dog chases, grabs and shakes.

 

[waffle]

You could attempt to put electric fence wires around your raised beds. The rat solutions I've seen usually contain large sections of energized mesh. You will have to be really religious with trimming the grass around your beds because the grass will ground the fence out otherwise.

 

[Bassomatic]

Legally speaking, is there anything I can do to ask people not to spray pesticide near my place? I've seen some people put up signs saying it's a "native plant preserve" and registered somewhere, but I didn't take a photo.

Depends on the area for both.
We have those signs, my neighbor has a "padron the weeds we're feeding the bees sign" it's cute.
When they spray shit for lawn on my other neighbors it never effected our lawn or more so our beds. I just mentioned to them when their landscapers come if they can watch our prop like since we have so much planted.

Guess really depends on area and how well you know neighbors.