TOPIC: Boxed Bed Soil Question

Bill,

Something else to look out for.

This year at the point where most of my seed bed plants had large plump green berries and some were just starting to turn red... I checked them out one Friday and they were looking good.

There were only like 4-5 red berries at that point and I thought well I will give them one more week and then start harvesting the red berries.

Well the next Friday when I went down to check out the bed, ALL of the berries had been eaten.

It was a sad sight for sure.

Under each of those nice seng plants there was a pile of chewed up berries and ginseng seeds.

Absolutely nothing had bothered them up to that point so I was not expecting anything to bother them all of a sudden like that.

I was not expecting mice type critters to bother the berries until the majority were red, but man was I wrong.

What ever it was (expect possibly field mice) but they ate every single berry in one weeks time and while the large majority were still green.

So as your plants start putting on berries, and even while they are still green, you best put out some kind of poison or traps to deal with the mice type critters that are just waiting to make a BIG meal out of your berries.

If you could cover your bed with something like 1/4\" hardware cloth covering, and make sure that is mouse proof (can't go over or under it easily) I expect that would help, but also might want to put out some poison/bait and traps as well.

I learned a hard lesson on that this year.

Good Luck to you !

TNhunter

TN,

Dang! I am sorry to hear that that happened to you TN, and thanks for the \"heads up\".

I can only imagine how heartbreaking that was.

I was gonna use chicken wire for the deer and turkeys, but thanks to your advice, I will use that 1/4\" hardware cloth. I will build the frame out of 2\" X 2\", and staple the cloth on. I can get a good tight fit to the top edge of the bed box, and the bottom will be dug in a few inches. Then I can backfill a bit around the outside.

I have plenty of mouse traps, as I used to trap mice for fox, coyote, and bobcat bait, when I was fur trapping a lot. I also have some rat sized traps that I used for weasels, and they could be used against chipmunks.

..................

For this year, my seed will be delivered next week, and I will treat and test it like you mentioned in another thread. Then I'll try to get a few pics of some sliced samples (trying to show embryo) for the recent and ongoing seed thread.

I hope to start planting on the 14th.

BFB

I think your best bet for protecting your plants against mice and voles is to start reducing their population numbers.

Most of my seng beds started out with mouse problems. But from the very beginning, after planting seeds I would put out some JT Eaton bait blocks, the kind that has peanut butter in it. I take a 18\" piece of black 2\" pvc pipe and shove a bait block half way down the pipe. Then I lay it on the ground and cover it with leaves, but leave both ends open. Don't lay the pipe up and down the hill but across the hill, so rain water won't run through the pipe.

When planting in a new area, sometimes the bait block will be all gone within a week. But like the area that I harvested about 22k seeds this fall, after using the bait blocks for five years, the bait usually lasts 2-3 months, now that the population has declined. I think reducing the mouse numbers gave me a successful berry harvest.

I think the best protection from mice is to reduce the number of them in your planting areas.

Covering your bed with hardware cloth will protect your plants from all other animals, but I don't think you could seal it off well enough to keep mice out. Especially were you attach to the sides and joining the seperate hardware cloth pieces together. I think that mice will find a way to squeeze in or chew their way in. And if one or two mice find their way in, they may not be able to find their way out of your ginseng cage. Then they will do more damage then they would of if the barrier were not there to gegin with.


I do think that the best way to protect your plants is to reduce the mice numbers from the very beginning. Don't wait for the damage to get out of control before you start dealing with the issue.

The bait blocks work nice, in that one block will kill many before it is all consumed.

Also, when I am seeding a new area. If I see vole or mole tunnels, I will shove a bait block into the hole. Mice will use these tunnels and eat the bait and Die!

Good Luck with your planting.

classicfur

classicfur,

Great advice!

\"An ounce of prevention ....\" I like that approach. And yes, mice can and do get into incredibly tight places. I fight them at my cabin (which is where my 'seng will be) all the time. They're always getting in, no matter how well I think I have it sealed up.

I will be planting seed (Hankins method) this coming week-end, (14th, 15th, &16th) and so I may as well start with the baited pipe right then.

The use of horizontially placed pipe is a really neat idea. (target specific to mice and like sized vermin, while harmless to larger wildlife) I wouldn't have thought of that. I think I'll fasten it down too. ... Also, I'll keep my eyes peeled for tunneling.

I had never heard of that \"JT Eaton\" bait, but I bet I can find some. I already have some surplus 2\" PVC, so nothing to buy there.

When I put my Boxed Bed in next Summer, I'll still go ahead and cage it against deer and turkeys.

Much appreciation for the help,

Bill

Very useful stuff, guys. Thanks for posting it!