What did you do in the garden today?

[chickengr]

We get mice too. The chickens take care of any that get in the coop, but the ones in the house can be a problem they tend to start coming in in the fall when it cools off. We had rats in the shed this summer but the rat snake took care of those. To be honest I think the chickens are better mousers than any of our cats.

a cat was sitting and watching a mouse when a hen grabbed it in front of the cat's nose, lol.

 

[karenerwin]

Make sure that if there is a bedroom in the basement or is supposed to be that you are paying for, that it has the proper egress requirements for a below grade living area.
Make sure that if the bathroom is down there that it as all the proper venting to the outside so it flows and that it has a backflow control.
Does the area require radon mitigation in the basements?
Does it have a sump pump with back flow control?
Are there any covenants in the area that are going to be a pain in the butt down the road?
Why isn't it finished now?
Did the builder quit?
Did the other owners bail in the middle of a rebuild?
if so why.....
How long has it all been exposed to the elements?

Is it on city water or a well?
Has the well been tested recently?

Has the pump been tested? the HVAC?
Is it on city sewer or a septic tank?
Has the tank been recently emptied/inspected? Are all the cleanouts easily accessible and there?

Is it on an an old cemetery, and if so did they move the bodies or just the headstones?

Thanks for all the suggestions! The inside is pretty well protected from the elements. It has city water and sewer. The proper egress for the basement room is a great reminder. I know my hubby was telling my son that the 1 window he saw in the back of the basement was too small to be a qualified exit for a bedroom.

 

[Artichoke Lover]

Thanks for all the suggestions! The inside is pretty well protected from the elements. It has city water and sewer. The proper egress for the basement room is a great reminder. I know my hubby was telling my son that the 1 window he saw in the back of the basement was too small to be a qualified exit for a bedroom.

This isn’t so much the house itself but have you looked to see if there is any ordinances regarding chickens or any other livestock you own? Or rules about gardening if you’re in an HOA area?

 

[karenerwin]

This isn’t so much the house itself but have you looked to see if there is any ordinances regarding chickens or any other livestock you own? Or rules about gardening if you’re in an HOA area?

In other parts of Poplar Bluff (like 11 minutes away) we saw several people with chickens. Other than that they have a dog. They did say they would give up the chickens if they had too. I have tried to get them interested in gardening, but they aren't very interested in vegetables .
But, yes, I plan to check about chickens! Thanks.

 

[BReeder!]

Other than adding to the compost occasionally, I haven't been doing much gardening. In IL the weather is just crud this time of year. I would like to attempt a Fall/Winter garden but know little too nothing about garden in the cold. I do have a few cabbage plants that sprouted late and are holding on. I'm doubtful they will fully develop before bending to the will of Old Man Winter, but it doesn't hurt to leave them alone and see what happens.

I have began exploring my Spring projects. I plan to build a tree house and new swing set for the kids. I also began thinking about the garden. In hopeful that the leaf compost and several tillings will prevent weeds from being such a problem next season. I also have four bales of straw stacked together that I will flip a few times in the early Spring to ensure any seeds sprout and get killed before using the straw as mulch to prevent weeds as well. As for garden plantings, I haven't mapped it out yet, but I'm thinking corn, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, carrots, lettuce, a mix of herbs, potatoes hot peppers (probably jalapenos) and sweet peppers. I will likely add a few other things but I don't want to get too carried away.

The onions are questionable. I didn't have the best results this year. We planted a variety of red onion bulbs, and they grew but didn't get very large. They are the size of a nice shallot. Anybody have a favorite onion variety to grow and tips to grow them large?

 

[oldhen2345]

I thought we got rid of the mice in the house but discovered they developed an alternate route to avoid the dogs. I found out that the mouse poison I have is not actually a poison but kills only mice and rats and perfectly safe to use around pets and farm animals. With the painter moving cabinets around in the kitchen every other day, I havent figured out a good spot for more of it in the kitchen but I will be buying more and spreading "snacks" for the little critters.

What are you using that kills rodents and is safe for pets and animals?

 

[oldhen2345]

people also say mice cannot handle chillie peppers. a few years ago they ate my chillies.

My cousin had to be away for about 6 months. When she came home, mice and rats had got into her kitchen. Stuff was opened and strewn everywhere. She spent a lot of time cleaning up the mess. She even found a couple of spice containers in the garage under her car. Those things eat any and everything and can really mess up your house.
I moved into this house 8 yrs ago. A couple of years ago, a friend went into the attic to check the HVAC. He said there was a LOT of rat nests and pellets. I had Orkin remove all the insulation and clean out the attic and replace it (very expensive). They said I had infestations of mice, rats and squirrels. Had to replace the tops of the vents on the roof too. Eeewwww. Now, I am super vigilant regarding rodents.

 

[Artichoke Lover]

My cousin had to be away for about 6 months. When she came home, mice and rats had got into her kitchen. Stuff was opened and strewn everywhere. She spent a lot of time cleaning up the mess. She even found a couple of spice containers in the garage under her car. Those things eat any and everything and can really mess up your house.
I moved into this house 8 yrs ago. A couple of years ago, a friend went into the attic to check the HVAC. He said there was a LOT of rat nests and pellets. I had Orkin remove all the insulation and clean out the attic and replace it (very expensive). They said I had infestations of mice, rats and squirrels. Had to replace the tops of the vents on the roof too. Eeewwww. Now, I am super vigilant regarding rodents.

This is what happened to us. We were gone for about 9 months the whole place pretty much had to be decontaminated after we came back from how bad it was. And they really do eat anything and everyone. Probably the weirdest thing they ate was packets of propel water flavoring. They ate several boxes of those.

 

[Sueby]

Yea they sure will do a ton of damage! My car has a leak in the gas tank when it's full so DH is working on it - he had to vacuum out all the acorns that some rodent stuffed absolutely everywhere - under the engine cover, in all the doors, on top of the exhaust! Yesterday I took it for a drive & pulled back into the garage & all we could smell is acorns burning (nice, a gas leak & burning acorns ). We actually think they may have chewed the hose going into the top of the tank. To pull the tank the whole exhaust & rear drivetrain has to come out - this is a huge job. I guess that's what I get for working from home, I rarely drive so some stupid rodent moved in.

Anyway, morning all. I still have rutabagas in the garden, they are too small to bother with & they'll be covered in snow shortly. The lettuce is coming up good in the house! Can't wait for a salad!

That's all I got. Have a good one!

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

I really didn't have much of a rodent problem until the trailer two lots over was removed and the lot cleared and a new house built. All the wildlife that lived there was displaced. Then a house across the street was put on the market and the family moved out. It was on the market for 1 1/2 years before it finally sold. Contractors have been working on the house for a month now. The mice that were living there were starting to visit when my next door neighbors thought it was a good idea to let their two cats roam the neighborhood. So the past two months have been a real pain. I've noticed recently that there's likely a mouse or two living in the chicken coop. One had the misfortune of being discovered by the ladies. The other I found cowering in the roof beam of my roosters bachelor pad during the last nor'easter. He was trembling when he saw me and his sad little eyes were begging me not to throw him out in the storm. I didn't. I use MouseX and RatX. The main ingredient is corn gluten. It doesn't poison, it dehydrates them to the extreme of internal mumification. It's safe to use around pets and livestock. If your dog or cat were to ingest it you just need to make sure they have access to plenty of water. One of DD's dogs likes to scarf up the stray wood pellets that escape when I'm filling the pellet stove and the MouseX pellets look the same as the wood pellets so I want to be able to leave the pellets where the little dog is less, likely to find them. I'm glad you are feeling a little better @karenerwin. The only thing I have to add regarding the house is make sure the electrical is up to code and check for cracks and termites damage in the foundation. The contractors are here working today, I'm looking for some peace and quiet with this snow storm moving in tonight. I think we're about 8 to 10 inches of light fluffy stuff, but the temps will be bitter cold. Looks like we will have another white Christmas.