2026 Little Easy Bean Network – Plant A Garden, Water Your Soul, Join Our Family

[Rillowen]

I used to try overwintering peas for an early crop, usually in the polytunnel for a little protection. But rodents were just so voraciously hungry in the depths of the winter that whatever I did to try to make them rodent proof, they always succeeded in the end.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who had that problem! I felt silly to have not expected it after how much trouble they gave me last summer. My spinach, broccoli, cabbage, mustard and lentils were all the same story for the little varmints. The only thing they left was my backup strawberry plant, chamomile, and cilantro!

 

[Artorius]

It actually snowed here the morning before yesterday, and there was still frost yesterday morning. All right on schedule for the so-called “Ice Saints” here in Europe - four Catholic saints whose name days fall between May 11 and 15 - and when, according to old traditions, the last frost should arrive. After, you can start sowing seeds in the garden. Of course, from a meteorological and statistical standpoint, that’s not true - except this year

I didn't know that in Switzerland there are also Three Cold Gardeners and Cold Sophie. This is how we call these days in Poland.

 

[Oxford]

I tried planting those last fall, I was so excited! I put them under a low tunnel. They did fine at first, but then the volesndecided to eat most of them. The last 2 were taken out when we had that drop from a week of 80s to -20 in 12 hours. Most of my winter plants have the same story, voles then that drop. I was so sad. I could have mulched extra ect (not sure it would have helped) but the weather was predicted to be 50!

@Rillowen, I had/ have the same issue with voles. I have tried various methods, and in the meantime, I have picked up a new hobby: collecting daffodil varieties

Voles and rodents avoid daffodils and their bulbs. So I have started planting daffodils in my garden and around some of my berry shrubs. They then avoid those areas.

Since daffodils are poisonous, I can’t plant them in the vegetable beds, but I use them to create borders. Since I didn’t want the same daffodils all the time, I now have a collection of about 60 different varieties. Garlic is supposed to work too, but I really can’t plant the whole garden with garlic.

Another method is to dig holes in the ground, line them thickly with walnut leaves, then fill the holes back up with soil and plant the plants there. My neighbor does that and it provides quite a good protection.

 

[flowerbug]

@Rillowen, I had/ have the same issue with voles. I have tried various methods, and in the meantime, I have picked up a new hobby: collecting daffodil varieties

Voles and rodents avoid daffodils and their bulbs. So I have started planting daffodils in my garden and around some of my berry shrubs. They then avoid those areas.

Since daffodils are poisonous, I can’t plant them in the vegetable beds, but I use them to create borders. Since I didn’t want the same daffodils all the time, I now have a collection of about 60 different varieties. Garlic is supposed to work too, but I really can’t plant the whole garden with garlic.

Another method is to dig holes in the ground, line them thickly with walnut leaves, then fill the holes back up with soil and plant the plants there. My neighbor does that and it provides quite a good protection.

hardware cloth cages, but they're a pain in the butt to do.