Digging mole in no-dig bed

[viviroseParticipant]

Hi Charles and everyone. When the snow started to melt I noticed some displaced earth and the ground felt lumpy. Now it has gone I can see that we have a nocturnal visitor who is heaving up mounds of earth in my veg and flower beds and the grass. I don’t want to destroy him/her and have read they don’t eat roots but is this going to be a serious problem over the coming months and is there anything I can or should do to discourage further tunnels and molehills. Also is the molehill soil useful in any way?

[offwegoParticipant]

I too have a persistent mole in one of my beds, as I see it unless it starts uplifting plants it can do no harm.
I actually add mole hill material to my beds and collect this from around the allotment site. I’ve also just put two compost bags in the car boot so that I can collect the mole hill soil from some roadsides, it’s very fine soil to add to the beds or the compost bins

[CleansweepParticipant]

That mole may seem innocous but its likely to lift your planted crops, it will destroy the capillary structure causing loss of water uplift and it will EAT your little diggers (worms).
A non-lethal deterrent, simple and cheap, which worked for me, is to place an empty soft drinks bottle upside-down on a bamboo cane positioned through a tunnel. The breeze will intermittently move the bottle, causing a noise/vibration to be transmitted to disturb the mole. Works best if your plot has neighbours…..

[viviroseParticipant]

Thanks both of you for your replies. I’ll certainly use the soil and will try the deterrent if the mole increases his activity.

[HazelkyParticipant]

Thanks for the cane and bottle idea, Cleansweep. Moley has just tunnelled under all my broad beans. My neighbours are busy digging their wet clay plots and mine is full of soft compost and lovely worms. Think he will need much persuading to go elsewhere!

[Author]

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