rat in potato pit

crackcrack30

When getting potatos from my pit I noticed a hole (****)..
A rat had gotten in and was there for a few days by the look of it .......I opened the pit a and threw everything out, bout 8 stone I'd say.....


How can I prevent this happening next year???

Conmaicne Mara

Have you a shed you could store them in? In boxes or paper bags off the ground maybe. You would have a better chance in getting the rodents before they get your grub then. I was reading about clamps etc lately and wouldn't be a fan at all precisely for the reason you're posting.

crackcrack30

Frost protection is my issue.....thinking buring/ semi covering a plastic barrel next year? have a door opening to the front I only need them once every week or forthnight....that's how I didn't notice the hole for so long...

Conmaicne Mara

Never stored them myself, but I know it's not recommended to use plastic bags, you may have issues with the plastic barrel?

"Harvest in October, Store in boxes of damp sand or in a clamp" is how maincrop storage is described in "Vegetables for the Irish garden".

bbam

Conmaicne Mara wrote: »

Never stored them myself, but I know it's not recommended to use plastic bags, you may have issues with the plastic barrel?

"Harvest in October, Store in boxes of damp sand or in a clamp" is how maincrop storage is described in "Vegetables for the Irish garden".

I'd imagine sweat or condensation would be the problem with plastic containers...

Maybe if the barrel was well perforated with holes small enough to keep rodents out..

MayoSalmon

Get a cat

crackcrack30

MayoSalmon wrote: »

Get a cat

no shortage of cats here but they are by far too well fed.... it appears

Zoo4m8

I remember years ago when we grew a couple acres of spuds they were stored ,after sorting, in a big heap in the corner of a shed and covered with paper meal bags or jute sacks to keep the light from them. I don't recall any rat problems though we always had plenty about.

aonb

Eight stone of potatos isnt a huge amount - I would imagine they would keep pretty well if stored in a cool dark shed. Definately wouldnt put them in plastic barrel/bin - condensation. Burying them will encourage visiting rats I would have thought. What a bummer to loose your lovely spuds to a bloody rat 8-(

Conmaicne Mara

crackcrack30 wrote: »

no shortage of cats here but they are by far too well fed.... it appears

Yeah, "normal" cats are pure useless. Have heard tell wilder cats are better, don't know, I prefer Rodex and Storm

crackcrack30

I know 8 stone isn't a huge amount, but they would have kept us in spuds for another 6-8 weeks......they were golden wonders and sharps (tasty...)


Will consider building a timber bunker/box lined with chicken wire for next year....

Askim

I store mine in a shed, in an old metal water tank, with plastic sacks on top, no rat problem or sweating.

I can understand your being annoyed, 8 stone maybe only 2 bags, but the less you have of your own produce the more precious they are

A

aonb

crackcrack30 wrote: »

I know 8 stone isn't a huge amount, but they would have kept us in spuds for another 6-8 weeks......they were golden wonders and sharps (tasty...)


Will consider building a timber bunker/box lined with chicken wire for next year....

sorry, didnt mean to imply that 8 stone of potatos isnt important - just meant that they wouldnt take up too much room to store. I would be so fed up if I lost any of my crop to a rat - home grown potatoes are so delicious and such a treat.

GS11

Storing veg is one pain in the ass.

reilig

We make our potato pit in an A shape and we cover it with a layer of soil. then we reinforce the side walls with a sheet of corrugated iron on each side to prevent the vermin from digging through. Then we cover that too with another layer of soil.

Lay some poison in the vicinity also!

KatyMac

I heard them talking about rats/mice on the radio this morning and a woman rang in and said that she had acquired a ferret and that was the end of her rodent problem. apparently the smell alone is enough to frighten them away.

Misty Moon

This has reminded me of a blog post I read years ago which was a real eye-opener for me. Sort of a coming back down to earth about the realities of trying to grow all or most of your own food (after dreams of traipsing merrily through sun-drenched fields gathering beautiful veg in a basket to make dinner with, which isn't all that far from where I started my imaginings, if I'm honest). Anyway, since it's on the topic of potato storage, I thought I'd post the link. He's based on a croft in Scotland so not too dissimilar in terms of climate etc. It was shortly after reading that post that I heard of the book Root Cellaring, which is also excellent. And now I'll go back to daydreaming of what it'll be like when I finally get to move away from high-rise city living and/or save enough to get an allotment (they cost a lot here). <sigh>

Musings from a stonehead - storing potatoes

Bizzum

We store our few in a shed nowadays, with aeroboard stuck to the wall, covered with paper (crunch) bags, and carpet underlay. Keep shed well baited for rats.

In my grandparents time they used to pit spuds, cover them with straw, then soil with a layer of lime, which was supposed to deter rats. I remember the odd rat would get in and we'd have to pulp the affected spuds for cattle feed!. I know there was a tradition of getting a load of scraws from the bog to cover spuds too.

micraX

You can still eat them

Bizzum

micraX wrote: »

You can still eat them

You can still eat what?

micraX

The potatoes

Bizzum

micraX wrote: »

The potatoes

Sooner you than me!
I would'nt be inclined to eat half eaten spuds the rat was after gnawing. We wouldn't be on for feeding these ones either, with the spread risk of Lepto.
Anyway it's years since I've seen the issue.

Conmaicne Mara

Bizzum wrote: »

Sooner you than me!
I would'nt be inclined to eat half eaten spuds the rat was after gnawing. We wouldn't be on for feeding these ones either, with the spread risk of Lepto.
Anyway it's years since I've seen the issue.

Not a chance I'd eat anything ratty had been crawling, pissing, ****ting over. Couldn't pay me enough money in fact.

J.O. Farmer

Conmaicne Mara wrote: »

Not a chance I'd eat anything ratty had been crawling, pissing, ****ting over. Couldn't pay me enough money in fact.

But but but it would be full of ratty goodness. Think of the things you might be missing out on like weils disease. You could go your whole life without ever contracting something like that surely you should be paying for the to have some spuds and get a story to tell into the bargain.

Conmaicne Mara

I have and will continue to live a dull sheltered life

J.O. Farmer

Conmaicne Mara wrote: »

I have and will continue to live a dull sheltered life

Welcome to the club

micraX

But if it's eating one it was obviousy in the area and chances are it was running pissing etc over the rest of them, you'll hardly throw them all out.

J.O. Farmer

I think the OP would disagree with you there.
I would assume that all the spuds would be full of ratty goodness as you say the rat was probably all over them all. It's up to you if you want to eat them after that.

Conmaicne Mara

micraX wrote: »

But if it's eating one it was obviousy in the area and chances are it was running pissing etc over the rest of them, you'll hardly throw them all out.

The whole lot, gone.

Ratty is a serious health risk.

on the river

get some jack russell dogs they wipe out any rat families . You may have to clean up afterwards:D:

periodictable

Noticed 2 rat holes near poultry house, baited each for 3 days, bait untouched on day 4. Two days later saw that each hole had been blocked with fresh soil, drawn from the ground about 30 cm away. The holes are inaccessible to any cat/dog, so wondering if this is some sort of rat behavior?