Shrews!!!! Potato eating jerks...

Anthony_Toronto · July 28, 2014

Had some people over on Friday and rooted around, pulled out a bunch of fist-sized (or larger) yukon gold, and more than half of them had been munched on by shrews, often with a very good portion of the potato missing. I have shrews all over the place so I guess I'm out of luck in terms of controlling them. I think they have also been eating my kale plants!! Something has at least, and they are in a cage so it can't be rabbits. The skins on the potatoes are still very thin and fragile (i.e. when I scrub them the skin comes off), if I pull them up now will they store well at all???

wmontanez · August 1, 2014

If the Yukon plant is yellowing down is ok to dig potatoes for storage. Do not wash the potatoes, dirt and all let them dry in a shaded cool area so the skin to get thicker before you dust the dirt out gently and store them.

If the plant is still with flowers I think the potatoes might not store well is better to eat them.

Never heard of shrews but glad I don't have it! Next year try growing a blue potato, little pests like it~

Worth1 · August 1, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by wmontanez

If the Yukon plant is yellowing down is ok to dig potatoes for storage. Do not wash the potatoes, dirt and all let them dry in a shaded cool area so the skin to get thicker before you dust the dirt out gently and store them.

If the plant is still with flowers I think the potatoes might not store well is better to eat them.

Never heard of shrews but glad I don't have it! Next year try growing a blue potato, little pests like it~

Never heard of shrews?
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrew

Ever heard of the story the taming of the shrew written by William Shakespeare?
A great story.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Taming_of_the_Shrew
I think shrews are cool and most people mistake them for mice.
The aren't mice but the smallest mammals in the world and have saw teeth.
Check this mean little devil out killing a snake.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sourc...72197243,d.b2U
Worth

wmontanez · August 2, 2014

Worth I always enjoy your stories~
I looked yesterday "shrew" on goggle 'cause I only new the word mole, vole , vermin etc. ( I am not a native English speaker, second language he he)

Worth1 · August 2, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by wmontanez

Worth I always enjoy your stories~
I looked yesterday "shrew" on goggle 'cause I only new the word mole, vole , vermin etc. ( I am not a native English speaker, second language he he)

Wendy I know where you are from.

I think you have done very well with your new found language, more so than many born here.
You must be very smart.

Once I had to work with a guy from Iran who could speak almost no english but was fluent in german.

So we communicated with me speaking broken German and him speaking broken English.
I learned a lot at the time but forgot because I have no one to speak Persian German English with..

Worth

Anthony_Toronto · August 2, 2014

correction: VOLES are eating my potatoes. SHREWS are eating all of my worms.

Worth1 · August 2, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anthony_Toronto

correction: VOLES are eating my potatoes. SHREWS are eating all of my worms.

What did you do, count their teeth?

Worth

Anthony_Toronto · August 2, 2014

Nope, just realized that shrews are carnivorous and voles are omnivorous, so shrews wouldn't be eating my taters. The voles explains why some of my hosta disappeared over the winter also! Time to do something about it...just pulled up one plant and it had only one potato that was not half-eaten.

Worth1 · August 2, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anthony_Toronto

Nope, just realized that shrews are carnivorous and voles are omnivorous, so shrews wouldn't be eating my taters. The voles explains why some of my hosta disappeared over the winter also! Time to do something about it...just pulled up one plant and it had only one potato that was not half-eaten.

That really blows, I know how much you were looking forward to them.

Worth

wmontanez · August 2, 2014

Sorry to hear you lost a lot of potatoes. I am giving up on growing corn because of squirrels!
Nevermind a woodchuck that keeps eating my lettuce, so no more lettuce....arugula seems to bother his taste buds so Arugula it is~

Worth too funny Persian German he he
The best part is that you were able to communicate regardless of language~!

RobinB · August 2, 2014

Anthony,

Could you grow potatoes in containers next time? I had good luck with containers last year... just a thought. We don't have anything furry to worry about here. There were rabbits, but the cats took care of that problem...

Robin

Anthony_Toronto · August 2, 2014

That's a good thought. Some pics of the damaged potatoes below. There are still some under there, pulled up another plant and got the ones pictured far below (the big one was 1-1/4 pounds).

Looks like lots of 'hollow heart' though, probably because of issues with my new soil this year which seems to have included improperly composted manure, maybe too much nitrogen etc. I have to say I really wish I'd pulled out more new potatoes this year, they were so creamy and delicious. These ones now are good, and a few months I think until plants die and I pull up potatoes with thicker skins (if any are left that is), but wow the new ones were good. I do have about 20 plants out there so way more than I can eat, but still annoying to lose so many to varmints!!! Tonight making steak with garden French fries...

gardensup · August 2, 2014

Attached is a link to a web site and video that has the potential to solve both your potato and hosta problems. Best of all, it is an organic solution. Using a watering can, put in 1 teaspoon of castor oil and 1 teaspoon of dishwashing detergent and then fill it with water. Spray it over the ground to be protected. Simple enough if you only have a small area. There is a bit more detail on the web site but those are the basics.

http://www.nhhostas.com/organic-vole-control.htm

I have had problems in the past with my beets being eaten by a vole and they looked very similar to your potatoes (half eaten). I tried this treatment for the first time this year and it appears to work.

Unfortunately, I did not treat the ground right beside it for my snow peas and the vole has moved on to them. At least I will know for next year.

Anthony_Toronto · August 3, 2014

Thanks Gardensup, I did find that solution, hoping that it works. I'd also be ok with live traps, but I don't really want to kill them at this point, despite the fact that I just found a huge ripe Cherokee purple tomato that was half eaten, presumably by these little jerks! I'll research that solution a little more, and might have about 1000 sq ft or more to cover, including the area of the hostas.

Anthony_Toronto · August 19, 2014

Well, the voles continued to eat...had one huge potato that was 24 ounces with about 20% of it missing from those hungry little jerks. But managed to pick lots that were undamaged also, and made some delicious fries and potato chips yesterday.

July 28, 2014	#1
Anthony_Toronto Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Toronto Posts: 413	Shrews!!!! Potato eating jerks... Had some people over on Friday and rooted around, pulled out a bunch of fist-sized (or larger) yukon gold, and more than half of them had been munched on by shrews, often with a very good portion of the potato missing. I have shrews all over the place so I guess I'm out of luck in terms of controlling them. I think they have also been eating my kale plants!! Something has at least, and they are in a cage so it can't be rabbits. The skins on the potatoes are still very thin and fragile (i.e. when I scrub them the skin comes off), if I pull them up now will they store well at all???

August 1, 2014	#2
wmontanez Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: MA Posts: 776	If the Yukon plant is yellowing down is ok to dig potatoes for storage. Do not wash the potatoes, dirt and all let them dry in a shaded cool area so the skin to get thicker before you dust the dirt out gently and store them. If the plant is still with flowers I think the potatoes might not store well is better to eat them. Never heard of shrews but glad I don't have it! Next year try growing a blue potato, little pests like it~ __________________ Wendy

August 2, 2014	#4
wmontanez Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: MA Posts: 776	Worth I always enjoy your stories~ I looked yesterday "shrew" on goggle 'cause I only new the word mole, vole , vermin etc. ( I am not a native English speaker, second language he he) __________________ Wendy

August 2, 2014	#10
wmontanez Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: MA Posts: 776	Sorry to hear you lost a lot of potatoes. I am giving up on growing corn because of squirrels! Nevermind a woodchuck that keeps eating my lettuce, so no more lettuce....arugula seems to bother his taste buds so Arugula it is~ Worth too funny Persian German he he The best part is that you were able to communicate regardless of language~! __________________ Wendy

August 2, 2014	#11
RobinB Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Near Reno, NV Posts: 1,621	Anthony, Could you grow potatoes in containers next time? I had good luck with containers last year... just a thought. We don't have anything furry to worry about here. There were rabbits, but the cats took care of that problem... Robin

August 2, 2014	#13
gardensup Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 8	Attached is a link to a web site and video that has the potential to solve both your potato and hosta problems. Best of all, it is an organic solution. Using a watering can, put in 1 teaspoon of castor oil and 1 teaspoon of dishwashing detergent and then fill it with water. Spray it over the ground to be protected. Simple enough if you only have a small area. There is a bit more detail on the web site but those are the basics. http://www.nhhostas.com/organic-vole-control.htm I have had problems in the past with my beets being eaten by a vole and they looked very similar to your potatoes (half eaten). I tried this treatment for the first time this year and it appears to work. Unfortunately, I did not treat the ground right beside it for my snow peas and the vole has moved on to them. At least I will know for next year.

August 3, 2014	#14
Anthony_Toronto Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Toronto Posts: 413	Thanks Gardensup, I did find that solution, hoping that it works. I'd also be ok with live traps, but I don't really want to kill them at this point, despite the fact that I just found a huge ripe Cherokee purple tomato that was half eaten, presumably by these little jerks! I'll research that solution a little more, and might have about 1000 sq ft or more to cover, including the area of the hostas.

August 19, 2014	#15
Anthony_Toronto Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Toronto Posts: 413	Well, the voles continued to eat...had one huge potato that was 24 ounces with about 20% of it missing from those hungry little jerks. But managed to pick lots that were undamaged also, and made some delicious fries and potato chips yesterday.