Actually that’s a bit harsh – possibly quite harsh. But I have had my shed broken into and there was damage and things have been taken, and they have left their poop in my shed and so now it stinks! There could have been more than one, I’m not sure, but I have seen them loitering around.
I lay the blame fairly and squarely at the feet of Toast the Cat. I mean she actually sleeps in there. Although it seems to be more a case of sleeping on the job. While she has been blissfully warming her poor old body in the sun trap that my shed can be, mice have been nibbling away at my window sill, making a small gap big enough for them to squeeze through and then they race about the frames, tossing their poop about with gay abandon – I mean there is poop everywhere, and I only cleaned it all out a few weeks ago.
They have stolen all the artichoke seeds I put aside, but I think that was more a crime of convenience as I don’t think it was their targeted item. Luckily the few other seeds I have in the shed are locked up tight in a tin or in plastic or they just don’t like them. And they have left my onion and garlic alone. I was going to store my pumpkins in there but now I’m just not too sure – do mice eat pumpkin?
The main target of this repeat offending appears to be my wheat. My cover crop / mulch grand plan, where I shall be growing wheat over winter in the empty beds, to save them from becoming weed infested, then in early spring I’ll harvest them, dry them and when my baby seedlings are ready I will lay the wheat straw about the place as a mulch. I did a test patch last year and it worked really well.
So my problem it seems is storing the wheat until I am ready to use it. I may need to buy something – a lead lined concrete box?! But until then I need to empty my shed out again! And clear out all the evidence, fix the hole and remove all edible temptation and I may even put down a little spring loaded peanut butter – but I do hate doing that as there are implications and complications with that course of action.
But what I do know is this intolerable state of affairs cannot be allowed to continue. Something must be done. And I will be the one to do it… Experience has proved these things cannot be left up to a cat, especially not a well fed house cat.
Come again soon – I’ll shall take care of this wee problem and then carry on the important task of gardening so I can inflict turnips, cabbage and silverbeet on my family all winter long!
Sarah the Gardener : o )
Oh and for those of you who are wondering what my garden looks like RIGHT NOW… I have put a short video on You Tube and you can watch is by clicking >HERE<
Sounds like you need a heavy duty plastic container with a snap-to lid. Maybe one of those large ones for winter storage of clothing. It also sounds like you need a hungrier cat! 🙂
Hi Sheila. I think you are right. I see a shopping trip coming up… However the trick will be only buying the heavy duty plastic container!
Cheers Sarah : o )
Mice can enter through a very small hole. (And despair not, the little gifts left, while a problem for human consumption, are not a problem for use as seeds for your cover crop.
Hi there. I think I need to have a good look about my shed for more potential in holes. But I think I need to crack down on the kids going in there and then leaving the door open!
This could become a problem for using the seeds if this situation continues, as there will be none left!
Cheers Sarah : o )
Cats are useless….. 🙁
Your video is awesome, very inspiring!!!
the Romanesco broccoli didn’t do it this year for me either but the tender broccoli / broccoli is beautiful. just a quick fry in olive oil, very nutty 🙂
you reminded me that i haven’t planted an Kohlrabi this year, and i actually never tried kale. time to go to my treasure box and check the seeds.
thank you
Hi Dina. Toast the cat may be a terrible mouser, but she is such a lovely cat. It’s not much that she doesn’t catch mice – it’s more she only does it when she feels like it!
Cheers Sarah : o )
I defo’ wouldn’t store the pumpkins there, or you may well find that the Halloween carving has been done for you 🙂
Pity about the artichoke seeds but at least the others were okay.
Took me about 3 hours to realise that your pumpkins probably wouldn’t store long enough for Halloween 🙂 Ah, well, you know what I meant.
Halloween is a weird time for us down under as there aren’t any pumpkins left to left to carve! Having said that Easter is a bit skewiff too!
Cheers Sarah : o )
Hi there. Maybe we should just eat pumpkin more regularly. The problem is Hubby the Un-Gardener doesn’t like pumpkin soup! Although how this is possible I don’t know – my pumpkin soup is really yummy!
Cheers Sarah : o )
Yeh…they will get in anywhere! With a tonne of feral cats revolving around Serendipity Farm there are no mice…no rats…no small possums…no small wallabies…no small chooks 🙁 but the upside is that nothing gets even sniffed at in the shed…we can garden with impunity and anything smaller than a cat gets sorted quick smart! 😉
Hi Fran. As much as I like the sound of the absence of a variety of small nibblers and stealers, I’m not sure I like the thought of a load of feral cats… the term ‘feral’ conjures up all sorts of scary thoughts! I think I just settle for my well fed, but ever so lovely domestic Toast the cat.
Cheers Sarah : o )
Sure you don’t want a batch of rapidly growing kittens? sigh…we counted 13 the other day! Seems like we inherited a cat plague 🙁
hubby wants to know what is the little red tracktor (he saw a glimps of it in the video) 🙂
Hi Dina. Its a 1952 David Brown, however it is really more for show than anything else, as a tractor without implements is like a computer without software! Maybe one day we will get a mower.
Cheers Sarah : o )
My cats earn their keep. I live in town and this summer they have caught “big” rats. I don’t know where they find them. They bring them inside alive and I redirect cat and their catch to go outside. Yesterday, I extended my vege patch for a winter garden. A no dig garden. My summer garden still have tomatoes, carrots. I have planted mustard seed which cleans the soil and planted broad beans. I have planted mustard seed the hot house as the soil was sour nothing grew.
Hi Tracy. Our wee cat Toast used to be a city cat and has flourished in the country. When we first moved to the country she managed to catch a rabbit and dragged it through the cat flap and give it to one of the kids as a present by leaving it under the bed!
Cheers Sarah : o )
Hi Sarah, new to commenting on any site, however have been following for three months now. Motivating garden. I have a large garden and live in Hawkes Bay in what we feel is the epicentre of the drought! I planted close to a hundred brassicas this year, we had heat, kept up the water and all bar 5 were all leaf and no head. Grown in different positions and different soils. Tomatoes also, pathetic this year with best heat ever. Marconi red peppers made no show of turning anything except green as was my multi packs of capsicums. With all this heat I was expecting great results. As for your cat, my Australian terrier is the chief ratter and mouser, far exceeding success of our lovely but ineffective cat! I have a spare pup if you need a mouser.
Hi Alison. Thank you for your kind words.
Wow – a hundred brassicas, that is a lot! One thing I have learnt in the garden is sometimes things just don’t work out, but I garden in the knowledge that there is always next season and hope that it will be better one.
Our cat is a lovely wee thing, and catches the odd mouse – but only on her terms! In our house we have an ongoing debate about whether or not to get a dog. Some people are dog people and some people are cat people and unfortunately (for Hubby the Un-Gardener) the dog people are outnumbered 3 to 1.
Cheers Sarah : o )
Fun post. Sorry about the mice. Your cat is adorable, however, so you should let kitty off the hook. 🙂
Hi Alys.
To be honest – I don’t think Toast the Cat was ever on the hook!
Cheers Sarah : o )
I didn’t think so either. 🙂