Homestead mailing list

[Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>]

On Feb 5, 2008, at 4:17 PM, WF Smith wrote:

> Our homestead is in it's winter holding pattern. The rich soil we  
> built with
> years of mulch has attracted some ne'er do wells and I anticipate a  
> mole
> problem this spring.

Moles drive me nuts, overnight undermining tomato plants which then  
fall over, often so wilted I can't reestablish them. Better soil means  
more earthworms, which means more moles. The only success I have had  
so far in thwarting moles is hardware cloth in the bottom of solid- 
wall growing beds. When I build new beds I will try a thick layer of  
gravel and broken beer bottles at the bottom.