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  • From: MaggsMD AT aol.com
  • To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Market-farming] garlic and voles
  • Date: Mon, 25 Oct 2004 20:03:40 EDT

Speaking of garlic, I'm about to plant about 1000 cloves of the Music variety.  We turned over an acre or so of sod beginning in March, and since then our vole problem has worsened.  I would guess that 95% of our garlic last year successfully formed nice bulbs, but I assume I was just lucky.  This year the voles are so bad that I am nervous about planting the garlic.
 
Need I be worried about the voles eating the roots of the garlic? 
How about the deer eating the tops?  (I know goats will eat the tops.)
 
Also, I have heard that planting a cover crop of rye will exacerbate the vole problem.  What is your experience?  What cover crops could be planted instead?  I have access to Dutch ladino clover but the variety of cover crop seed at the feed store is limited. They do not carry hairy vetch.  Perhaps I will try other feed stores. 
 
What can be done to get rid of the voles?  It has been suggested to me that I buy milky spore powder to kill the Japanese beetle grubs so that the moles that make tunnels for the voles will haves less food to eat. 
 
Hope someone can give me advice in this busy time.
 
Thanks,
Margaret
Knoxville, MD



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