San Diego Tomatoes in Lath Houses

[Zana]

Great looking houses and produce and website. I might try something like that here, as the tree rat population is driving me nuts. Thanks for the ideas. Good luck with your produce selling and expansion plans.

Zana

[zeroma]

When I saw "lath", I thought of all the plaster and lath boards we tore out of the house we lived in when I was a little girl. The house was build in 1917.

WOW, Beautiful ...... not at all like I was thinking.

Great Job!!!!

[LDx4]

Thanks Zana - the tree rats are horrible creatures! There's really no way to get rid of them that lasts. We don't like poison, because we have dogs and because the local hawks eat them and we don't want to introduce poison into the wildlife food chain. Traps work, but since there's a constant resupply of the rat population, it's a never ending battle.

These lath houses won't really protect plants from the elements (temps, wind, etc), but they will protect against birds, rats, rabbits, and larger insects, plus the polycarb roofs eliminate most of the condensation/dew. I didn't find any tomato hornworms on the plants inside the houses last year, but I did find a bunch on the peppers growing outside, so maybe the hornworm moths are too large to fit through the lath screen.

Lyn

[LDx4]

Thanks Zeroma! The way we've named them (and our company) is definitely not the usual meaning of "lath house"! You don't see many folks using traditional lath houses for shade anymore. Our next door neighbors had one in their backyard where I grew up, but their house was built back in the 1930s. I remember that it was always so cool and pretty in there, even on a really hot day.

Lyn

[casino]

Impressive, good job.

About the rats, here is a link that describes several ways to kill rats. I have used the plaster of paris method, (its non toxic ) and really works. TIP: Mix the plaster in small batches. If it gets wet or just standing in a humid area can start to harden.

http://www.squidoo.com/how-to-keep-rats-out-of-a-home-

[Dutch]

Originally Posted by casino

Impressive, good job.

About the rats, here is a link that describes several ways to kill rats. I have used the plaster of paris method, (its non toxic ) and really works. TIP: Mix the plaster in small batches. If it gets wet or just standing in a humid area can start to harden.

http://www.squidoo.com/how-to-keep-rats-out-of-a-home-

Do you mean?
http://www.squidoo.com/how-to-keep-rats-out-of-a-home-
By tree rats do they mean squirrels?
Dutch

[Wi-sunflower]

I don't know about in San Diego, but in Florida, they are actual RATS. They nest in the palms.

Carol

[Deborah]

Our rats are called Norway Silvers, as far as I know that's all we have here.
They LOVE date palms for food and habitat.

[LDx4]

What we've got here are definitely rats and not squirrels!! Here is a link that explains the difference between Norway rats and roof rats:

http://www.paw-talk.net/forums/blog.php?b=167

Roof rats are smaller (but still bigger than mice) and they like to live in trees, bushes, basically outside. But they do try to nest in attics during the winter. They will try to eat almost anything if they're hungry enough. We've had them chew through car engine wiring under the hood and make nests in the engine compartments of both our car and truck.

I think southern CA doesn't get cold enough to kill them off in the winter, which is why they're so prevalent. La Jolla, one of the wealthiest areas around here, is overrun with them -- not something realtors like to admit!

Lyn

[Dutch]

Carol, Deborah, Lyn;
Thanks for enlightening me on tree rats. I really had no idea that such rodents existed.
Dutch

[Crandrew]

Originally Posted by JamesL

Lyn,
I am struggling to find the right adjectives. Ingenious, impressive and gorgeous spring to mind.
Jealous too! Your husband's got skills!

+1
yeah seriously, you are making me feel deficient

[Zana]

IN this neck of the woods we refer to squirrels as tree rats....but learned something new today that actual rats will live in trees. Regardless, they're all rodents and a pain in the arse to gardeners.

Zana

[LDx4]

Crandrew - my intention was not to make anyone feel deficient!! You know the old saying, "Necessity is the mother of invention"? Well, that's how we started -- I was at war with the rats and my very creative husband came up with a way for me to have a garden. We've done everything on the cheap - I've scoured Craigslist for 15gal pots and containers, we used Douglas Fir for the wood and stained it to look like redwood and basically saved a lot of money with my hubby doing all the work (luckily, he likes to build and do yard work!). I found a local nursery that sells pretty decent potting soil in bulk amounts. Where there's a will, there's a way!

Zana - until we moved into this house I thought rats only lived in sewers and garbage dumps. I was horrified when I saw a rat running along the fence rails at dusk one night! And then when they started eating the car wiring, it was like a horror movie -- I had no idea these creatures existed! And they're really, really smart, too. In previous years I would plant tomatoes and they would leave them alone until the tomatoes started to ripen. When I found missing tomatoes, I started picking them at first blush, but then the rats just stole all the green tomatoes too. They are evil creatures

Lyn

[lakelady]

The tree rats sound pretty gross, I'd freak out for sure. Every year I am totally overrun by chipmunks. They live and run around in all my stone walls (and my yard is terraced full of them) so no matter how many I trap, they just keep coming back. Mine have become quite accustomed to the flavor of tomatoes. I did learn they do not like crossing, or climbing a wobbly chickenwire fence though, so as much as I hate the look and want more permanent fencing around the garden, they won't go inside the chicken wire. At least not yet!

[Tonio]

I am familiar with these tree/roof rats, they look like enlarged mice. Feral cats are not much help either Had a family of them dig under the garage and eat through a 2x6 framing to get inside the garage and had offspring that lived in the insulation, and came into the interior to scope out food. When I cleaned and set traps, poison, they moved to the house attic. There are still some path marks on conduit and other ,but I finally got rid of them.
In San Diego, there are many mini " canyons" as we call them, and is a good eco habitat for them , along with raccoons, skunks, opossums and squirrels. The coon, skunks, possums are a nightly visit in our neighborhood. The coon families - literally mom , and her kids- are all out hysterical watching them, but they do wreak havoc in a garden. Its just about time for them to start visiting in spring.
I hope they don't ruin my recently planted nectarines, and raspberries.