Foxes, and fox poo

[J S BeanParticipant]

Hi all,

I’ve got a raised bed in my garden used for salads (veg and everything else is at the allotment). Recently, something has taken to pooing in the bed.

I think it’s a fox, based on the poo, but I suppose it could be a cat.

It seems to prefer the areas that are bare – either because I’ve harvested something, or where I’ve planted seeds and they’ve not sprouted yet. There’s usually a small amount of digging/scuffing of the soil and an unpleasant brown gift left behind.

What would others do in this situation?

I’ve tried using a smelly mixture of water, garlic and chillies to see if that deters it, but with mixed success (the fox doesn’t visit every night, but I don’t know if that is normal, or as a result of my spray).

I don’t want to harm the fox, or do anything that would deter other, less damaging wildlife from the garden (birds, hedgehogs, etc.). But I don’t want it pooing where I’m trying to grow salad.

Lastly, what would you do about the food being produced in the bed? Is it safe to eat? There’s not masses and masses of poo (as I’m pretty good at spotting it and getting rid of it), but it is close to some of my leaves.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[JDParticipant]

Net the bed. Should deter both fox and cat.
Think leaves should be ok unless directly pooped on. Maybe remove outer leaves as precaution. Think sunlight would degrade most pathogens over time, but I’m not a biologist so don’t take as gospel.
Jan

[J S BeanParticipant]

Thanks Jan. I’ll get some netting over the weekend.

[monicaParticipant]

I simply stuck in some hazel twigs: as soon as the bare and loose soil is covered and they can’t move and dig , they go elsewhere.
Beware of the poo: the tapeworm echinococcus multilocularis is quite awful to die from… better remove the surrounding soil as well

[Author]

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