When came to our new garden nearly six years ago we started by removing years of accumulated growth. I was busy hacking down long grass and weeds when I came across two voles asleep in their nest. It was deep in the grass and easily missed but somehow I managed not to step on it or hack away the grass.
They were so deeply asleep they did not notice I was there. Now, six year latter their descendents have established a permanent home in this larder we call a garden. All through winter I have found their nests. Sometimes they are made out of grass twisted and woven into round, cosy cups.
Now they are feasting on the broadbean seeds I planted a week ago. I found one half eaten seed lying on the soil with another three dug up ready for their next meal. I pushed them back into the ground and hope they don’t take too many.
It was annoying to see the damage they do but what is the alternative? It seems there are two choices; either I attempt to remove them i.e. kill them somehow or just acknowledge that they were here first and have an equal right to life. I choose the latter option.
Eradicating pests is all too easy; living with them is harder as it challenges our notions of efficiency and maximum yield. Modern agriculture has become very good at killing insects so much so that bees are now at grave risk of extinction. For me, organic gardening is about achieving balance in the garden and in life. Yes, it is irritating to loose seed but what is the real harm in that?
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My tolerance and patience have been really tested this week. The mice/voles have taken a lot of the peas even digging up those that have germinated. I have resown in modules in the greenhouse but cannot sow enough for four 12ft rows. They have also been taking the broad beans which have been resown in modules.
There comes a point where enough is enough and I have placed a humane trap on the pea bed to catch the little blighters and relocate them far from the garden. Much as I feel they have an equal right to life if things continue then we will have no pea/bean crops this year and the more they go unchecked the bigger the population will be. I the trap as a compromise and the only thing I can do to protect the harvest.