Sooo, About That Straw Cover...

[ducks4you]

I think you will use a better tiller more than 1x/year. The Mantis is a real fro-fro machine, IMHO. In fact, if you till so that the soil looks like coffee grounds and it isn't amended with compost, it will dry hard as UNamended clay. I have seen this, so I till IN my compost.
Tilling doesn't remove using your shovel and use should always mulch around your vegetables, too. When I fix my flower beds I need to shovel the sides bc they are compacted.
I am surprised that I haven't broken mine! It is this model (I think, since I have owned it for at least 15 years now):
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Bronco-R...hguid=841ef6db-519-16876abd03214a&athena=true
I love tilling, just like I love mowing!
If I were working on your clay, I would shovel up the clay into big clods and then till it, then go over it again and till in compost.
I need to pull out the "Peck N Play" and put my chickens out this year to work on the squash bugs!
You can also till your compost pile and help it break down faster. I use medium pine shavings in my chicken's coop and those shavings takes YEARS to break down.
@bobm cats are your solution. Plant some catnip!! Why feed your own kitties when your neighbors will share!! Haven't MET a cat Yet who understands property lines.

 

[bobm]

@bobm cats are your solution. Plant some catnip!! Why feed your own kitties when your neighbors will share!! Haven't MET a cat Yet who understands property lines.[/QUOTE]Ducks... I have more feral cats here ( I counted up to 15 at a time ) than I know what to do with. There is a 10 acre woods right across the road from our back fence where they usually live in as well as under our and neighbors houses. They do NOT bury their poop and we all have the displeasure of collecting their copious and odoriferous offerings daily. They do not even attempt to hunt or catch the very numerous moles that are destroying our yards with their digging and numerous dirt mounds cover many a plant so we have to spread the dirt away almost daily. The bleeding hearts in Wa. had a law passed so that the victims can't use poison to get rid of these numerous destructive pests. Our local cats are totally useless in catching and eating moles as a food source. So, why would I want to plant catnip to attract even more cats to poop in our yard ? One of my wife's friend's husband in Cal. used BBQ brickets to smoke out their moles and swore that it worked for them. I tried to do the same here 3 times following his instructions to a "T" with at least 9 locations all over our yard …. You guessed it …. DID NOT WORK !!!!!! Anyone here have a great idea that will actually get rid of the moles ? HELP !!!!!

 

[Beekissed]

@bobm cats are your solution. Plant some catnip!! Why feed your own kitties when your neighbors will share!! Haven't MET a cat Yet who understands property lines.

Ducks... I have more feral cats here ( I counted up to 15 at a time ) than I know what to do with. There is a 10 acre woods right across the road from our back fence where they usually live in as well as under our and neighbors houses. They do NOT bury their poop and we all have the displeasure of collecting their copious and odoriferous offerings daily. They do not even attempt to hunt or catch the very numerous moles that are destroying our yards with their digging and numerous dirt mounds cover many a plant so we have to spread the dirt away almost daily. The bleeding hearts in Wa. had a law passed so that the victims can't use poison to get rid of these numerous destructive pests. Our local cats are totally useless in catching and eating moles as a food source. So, why would I want to plant catnip to attract even more cats to poop in our yard ? One of my wife's friend's husband in Cal. used BBQ brickets to smoke out their moles and swore that it worked for them. I tried to do the same here 3 times following his instructions to a "T" with at least 9 locations all over our yard …. You guessed it …. DID NOT WORK !!!!!! Anyone here have a great idea that will actually get rid of the moles ? HELP !!!!!

[/QUOTE]

Wonder if there is anyone in your area that has working terriers? A good ratting dog is worth his wt. in gold and you never know what's out there unless you advertise.

I had to put my old dog down this year but he was death on all voles,moles and rodents in his area. I sure do miss him. My cats took care of those out of his area, but Jake sure was a great dog for that. He didn't have any terrier in him but seemed naturally inclined towards the work anyway.

I'd advertise and see what comes up. You might start here...

https://atcww.club/about-us/

If no one rents one, could be you could get a pup out of working lines for your very own. Seems like if this is a recurring problem, you need the proper tool on hand to solve it.

 

[seedcorn]

I’m all ears on a way to get rid of moles. I’m told IF you kill all the grubs, earthworms, moles will hunt elsewhere. I’m not doing that. Had a dog that would dig for them but all he did was make more holes.

 

[thistlebloom]

My mom used to spray a castor oil product on her lawn to repel them. It worked but you have to keep up with it. I could be mistaken but I think they make a pelleted version of the product. ?

 

[so lucky]

Well, lets see. Cats don't like large gravel to poop in, or large wood nugget mulch. They don't like hot peppers. Or dogs. Or Vicks salve. Pick any two, lol.
Have you ever tried to trap them and take them to the humane society? Or some woods far away? (since they are feral, after all)

One year my DH contracted with Mole Man to eradicate the moles. The guy set traps in fresh runs. He used a kind of trap that was set down in the run, and left upended buckets over each one, so the moles couldn't sense the daylight where the ground had been removed for the trap. He had pretty good luck with those traps, and over the course of the season the moles were eradicated.
You can dig them out yourself, with a little patience. And if you don't mind committing mole murder. Just watch for one working a new run, and shovel down behind it quickly, either trapping it in the run so you can flip it out, or maybe cutting it in half with the shovel if you are lucky. You can tag team this activity, each person shoving their shovel in, one behind the mole and one in front, in case the run has already been dug and the mole is just enlarging it or feeding there. There will be blood.

 

[henless]

@bobm - Like Bee said, you need a good terrier. My Jack-Rat really gets into his job. He's not afraid of anything.

 

[ducks4you]

Sorry, Bob! I meant well. Sometimes the cats Do work!! Our neighbors across the street picked up and left the house vacant some 7 years ago. They NEVER paid for garbage pick up, and the rats that lived over by where the elevator used to be moved in, and THEN moved in below my chicken's coop! I could See them and see their rat holes. My chicken's run is a 12 x 30' dog enclosure and digging them out didn't work. MY CATS killed them all!! Plus, they hunted across the street and cleared out the rats And the mice that were living there. My friend bought the house 2 years ago and plans to flip it this summer. The "bones" of the house were still there, he repaired the roof and has gutted and redone the heating, AC and wiring inside. Haven't seen it since last summer, but when it gets warm and he is working there I can trot across the street to have another look.
You can't tell a cat what to do. When we were down to one cat, a male, he would eat mice, as long as they were dead in a mouse trap. Go figure. I am sure somebody has your solution.

 

[bobm]

Well, lets see. Cats don't like large gravel to poop in, or large wood nugget mulch. They don't like hot peppers. Or dogs. Or Vicks salve. Pick any two, lol.
Have you ever tried to trap them and take them to the humane society? Or some woods far away? (since they are feral, after all)

One year my DH contracted with Mole Man to eradicate the moles. The guy set traps in fresh runs. He used a kind of trap that was set down in the run, and left upended buckets over each one, so the moles couldn't sense the daylight where the ground had been removed for the trap. He had pretty good luck with those traps, and over the course of the season the moles were eradicated.
You can dig them out yourself, with a little patience. And if you don't mind committing mole murder. Just watch for one working a new run, and shovel down behind it quickly, either trapping it in the run so you can flip it out, or maybe cutting it in half with the shovel if you are lucky. You can tag team this activity, each person shoving their shovel in, one behind the mole and one in front, in case the run has already been dug and the mole is just enlarging it or feeding there. There will be blood.

I have more mole hills in our yard than the Iowa hill country has hills. like every square foot has mole hills. I have 12 mole traps out ( followed instructions CAREFULLY ) for the past year … did not catch a single mole... they just push loose dirt into the trap and laugh.

@bobm - Like Bee said, you need a good terrier. My Jack-Rat really gets into his job. He's not afraid of anything.

View attachment 30273 View attachment 30274

Our neighbors to the Left have 3 very yappy , totally useless terrier type dogs that they rescued from the no kill dog shelter … their yard is covered with mole hills then followed by those mongrels digging more and much larger holes halfway to china . The neighbor to the Right also got 2 similar yappy terrier type mongrels … result same scenario. Illegal in Wa. to use poison to kill moles … however, since I have tried every suggestion in the book and hundreds of $$$s for all types of suggested potions and traps that are guaranteed to work for the last 3 years with NO SUCCESS , I am now ready for any and all bloody murder or deadly poison to kill these very destructive PESTS !!!!!!! 00 HELP !

 

[Beekissed]

With all due respect,Bob, terrier type mongrels from a shelter are a far cry from actual hunting terriers, bred for one purpose. Oh, a person may get lucky getting a mutt that loves to hunt rodents~I did~but if you want a job done right, you get the proper tool.

That would be like me expecting my Lab mix to go duck hunting...he had never retrieved anything in his life, nor would he jump in a cold body of water after a dead duck, for love or treats.

Who knows, if you get yourself a hunting terrier out of good lines, you could maybe rent him out to your neighbors for mole removal also.