5 Tips to Keep Rodents Out of Your Compost

[@JD-li1xw]

I had a problem with rats getting into my compost bin by burrowing into it from underneath. I dug out the compost, re-sat the bin onto a thick wire mesh and then loaded the compost back in. Thankfully that has cured the problem so far.

[@scottnelson939]

Thank you for aknowledging the importance of rodents in our ecosystem while giving these tips. Although I don't want them in our compost, it's a good reminder that life on this planet (including ours) can't exist without creating balance with our natural surroundings. Great tips, thanks!

[@GardensThatMatter]

Thanks Scott. Glad you agree and enjoyed the tips. Balance is key to life on this planet. In regards to gardening, this is one of the reasons to use compost, to bring balance to the soil. And although we don't find it ideal to have rodents in our compost either, we don't really mind in the grand scheme of things. Much rather have rodents in the compost than in the house! Thanks for commenting and happy composting.

[@Warwck24]

I never thought of that - fixes that worry

[@OboeDaCaccia]

@@GardensThatMatterMight rodents in our compost (I use an economical heap & place kitchen scraps directly in the ground - no bin involved) attract them to our nearby house? My heap is about eight feet from the house.

[@jonathansinclair-wilson9755]

I’m an experienced composter but this was REALLY useful . Thank you .

[@billclinton6040]

I have learned the way to keep animals from my compost (and this includes mice, rats, rabbits, raccoons, opossums, etc.) is to compost food waste separately from garden waste in a strong, locking storage bin (which was quite cheap) with the added security of a large, heavy rock on top. I've had animals (most likely raccoons) break lids that weren't as strong. I have the added benefit of BSF larva in my food waste compost bin which means I can compost meat and dairy. But with a strong, locking bin, I never have to worry about animals getting into it. I am sure the smells drive the animals crazy because I do have access holes for the BSF. OTOH, the hot compost piles that only have garden waste (grass, leaves, pine needles...nothing that a rodent or otherwise will want to eat) does attract animals in the winter looking for a place to warm themselves on cold nights. So I just keep the compost piles far from my house.

[@abmrose]

What is BSF please

[@billclinton6040]

@@abmrose Black soldier fly larvae.

[@MISDYLE]

@@abmrose black soldier fly

[@ytrew9717]

About food waste: if I understand you drilled holes on the top / cover, but did you also drill small holes on the side and bottom?

[@plants4thewin]

This is a really good video....my BIGGEST CONCERN!!

[@Bestrong333]

Gratitude from india thank for providing this knowledgeble information.

[@sunshinehomemaker8974]

Thanks for these tips. So far so good no rodent problems

[@GlendaGrahamWalton]

Nice presentation. I am a "Master Composter" and this was a great refresher, plus I got information I can use.

[@sweetvuvuzela4634]

Glenda Graham-Walton is there a school for composting

[@petero2490]

Great video thanks. I have the same black plastic bin and the rats broke the vents. Will take your idea and put hardware cloth over the bottom and vents too.

[@rascalepiotre3687]

I live in a natural park in the French countryside and only the last couple of years rats have become a problem around our compost... I don't mind the mice in my outdoor compost pile, because I mostly use the slow decomposing compost bins for my flowers and any bacteria that they might have deposted would be decomposed by other bacteria. The rats discovered my worm bins in the cellar and chewed holes through them. I was able to capture and release several of them very far away (I prefer that they become food for birds of prey, etc.) in an abandoned barn. They had burrowed holes in very fine worm compost (80 liter trash bin stock). I usually use this to make worm teas. I ended up using this compost for the flowers, because if they had the leptospirosis bacteria, it reproduces in water, --Very frightening. But maybe it can be destryed by other microbes in the soil. I'm not sure... I've made new worm bins with the trash bins and the metal mesh you showed in the video to keep the critters out :) . This works perfectly to keep them out. So that part of the problem is solved. I've decided to make outdoor secure boxes in order to keep the problem out of the cellar. I cleared everthing out, disinfected, etc. You mention host compost. Excellent idea! The other compost practices take so much longer. I'm an adept of hot compost and believe this is the best way to make very rich living compost. I love Dr Elaine Ingham's methods. There seem to have been periods of serious increases in rat populations in our village over the past few years. But as a consequence, the birds of prey populations have also increased :) ! Our village had a family of Cresrel falcons last year. They nested in the church tower and had five falcon chicks. One of them got booted from the nest and I cared for it for 5 days as I waited for a relay to be available to transport it wildlife rescue center 4 hours away. What an amazing bird. This is the first time we've withnessed such falcons since 2011. They're back this year too. Do whatever you can to deter the rats and mice, but please don't ever use poisons. So often they end up poisoning our domestic animals our wild animals. As other people have mentioned below, and as you have, they are so important in our ecosystem. Also if you use live traps, be carreful not to trap other small animals. The rats are less cautious of the larger traps. I've seen photos of hedgehogs that were caught in live rat traps when people tried to keep rats out of their chicken cages. There is no way to free them as their spines expand through the holes. In Europe we have hedgehogs that roam around the gardens.

[@valeskabor]

Very helpful video with lots of useful information. Thanks.

[@jameswilmot4537]

Great advice, I think I may have rats getting into one of my compost bins, I have three of them together near the edge of my garden. I think I have some work to do.

[@sharonstuart5262]

Watching from the UK! Great advice. We have ordered 2 x plastic composting bins at a reduced rate due to a partnership between our local Council and a provider, as council keen to get us gardening and recycling! We already have the mouse mesh you mention as we had to mouse proof the house years ago, so a win win as we get to use that resource as well. Heading to your website now. Thank you.

[@jermainebrixton7559]

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[@brixtonkaysen6114]

@Jermaine Brixton Instablaster :)

[@jermainebrixton7559]

@Brixton Kaysen Thanks so much for your reply. I found the site through google and I'm in the hacking process now. I see it takes quite some time so I will reply here later with my results.

[@jermainebrixton7559]

@Brixton Kaysen it did the trick and I now got access to my account again. I'm so happy:D Thanks so much you saved my account :D

[@brixtonkaysen6114]

@Jermaine Brixton No problem :D

[@rubypeterson2621]

These are some great tips Amy, thanks!

[@elizabethsansom6447]

Thanks for sharing never heard of BOKASHI maybe you should do a video on that too

[@GardensThatMatter]

We have talked about doing a video on Bokashi. Maybe we will add to our spring que. Thanks for the comment.

[@rowenanembhard9485]

Enjoyed ! going to definitely start a small compost for my garden.... looking forward to learning more.Thanks appreciate how you articulated and your energy for environment is really encouraging.

[@marysosoo8443]

Very good, learnt a lot. Thanks

[@tarap5618]

Thank you. Very informative video with great tips!!

[@giovannifiorentino8947]

I wanted to add to use a worm tower in the middle of the compost bin made out of a 4 or 6” perforated at the bottom pvc pipe with a lid to place the kitchen scraps without having to bury them every time.

[@evelynbono42]

Awesome video, very informative, thank you!!

[@ofraraz9330]

Very informative. Thanks for your generous sharing of your knowledge

[@Jimmytwogunz]

Think I'm going to just worm Compost and leave the compost pile for my allotment! I have an issue with squrries and rats tunneling .. however the wire mesh is a good tip! Thank you

[@rt0861]

Great info

[@RobertMorrison70]

any tips on getting planters on a stone wall about 14 feet high to avoid rodents? IM in NYC

[@luciechaney8802]

Thank you for this super video.

[@sudhirpv]

Pretty good information! Thanks!

[@weirdheathersgarden]

Certain plants are reputed to repel rats & mice too. Catnip is supposed to be one. Not sure if that’s because it smells bad to rats, because it attracts cats, or both, but I put a plant next to my compost bin just in case this summer after my cat found a couple of rats hiding in the drains outside.

[@GardensThatMatter]

We've heard this too. Mint is supposed to be one of those plants. But mint is somewhat invasive and once we plant it, it will be hard to control, so we haven't planted any around our compost. Catnip is interesting. We may look into that. Thanks for the comment.

[@weirdheathersgarden]

Gardens That Matter I’ll have to add some mint to the catnip, got a whole bunch growing anyway as I love mint tea. Thanks 😊

[@roccoconte2960]

Rats love compost piles its easy diggin , they burrow into it now you got rat poop and hair in your compost, i had two use cement block for the side walls and a 1inch x 1 inch wire screen top and a cement pad 2 feet wide all around the sides they will burrow under , no more rats.

[@jcl5345]

What about no till garden, materials upon materials brown and green in a bed. It's basically a cold compost. Do rodents like to nest in it?

[@masoudmon3411]

Nice information

[@RichReese-g8z]

Mice have just moved into my compost bin. By heating it up with grass clippings, coffee grounds, etc., will that force the visitors out? As opposed to preventing them from moving in? Thanks! Great video.

[@GardensThatMatter]

Sorry for the delay - hopefully, you've been able to try this out. It is very likely that a hot pile will be less comfortable and less inviting to mice! Let us know how it goes.

[@richl1700]

Super helpful thanks!

[@arvettadelashmit9337]

Would using items like cloves, red pepper, peppermint, and hot sauces help keep deer, dogs, rats and mice out of my compost heap? Or, would they break down quickly and do little to nothing to keep deer, dogs, rats, and mice out of my heap?

[@GardensThatMatter]

Hi. Thanks for the question. I don't think using these items would help in a compost pile. We often hear about using things like peppermint and red pepper in a corner of a drawer or cabinet to deter mice in the house. And planting certain plants (like mint) in our gardens to deter deer, dogs, and rabbits - but in a compost heap, these items will be mixing with all the other materials and gradually decomposing. The best option to deter pests in your heap is to keep smelly items in the middle of your pile, keep you pile well covered with brown material (leaves, straw, wood chips, etc), and keep your pile managed well (proper moisture, turn often, and proper carbon to nitrogen ratio). A well managed pile doesn't take long to break down material which then helps keep your material from putting off odor which is what the animals are attracted too.

[@joesikic6531]

Thanks for the tips

[@1peytonplace703]

Great video. Do you consider a vole a rat? I have so many, even a exterminator can't control them. Thanks

[@glr]

Ain't nobody got time for that! The hardware cloth + plastic bin is a viable passive solution, though.

[@cleansin7998]

fabulous vid thankyou!

[@fishlimit1]

thanks

[@nada347_]

Skunks... A family of them. 😵‍💫 Had a close encounter last night and I want to avoid a repeat. It's my compost, too 😅 not their buffet.

[@robertforshey21]

I really enjoyed your series on composting. Well done. I have a question: can I use grass clippings on my compost pile that have been treated periodically by a professional weed control contractor? Thank you

[@GardensThatMatter]

Hi Robert. Using grass clippings that have been treated with herbicides is tricky. You may want to talk to the contractor to find out what kind of herbicide they are using. If they are using a product designed to last multiple years, called a "persistent herbicide", then you do not want to use the clippings in your compost. You will be creating "killer compost" and it will contaminate your compost and then your soil where only plants in the grass family will grow. Here is a link for information about persistent herbicides from the composting council. www.compostingcouncil.org/page/persistent-herbicides If you cannot find out what product the contractor is using, then I wouldn't take the chance. Thanks for the question Robert, I hope this helps.

[@robertforshey21]

@@GardensThatMatter Thank you very much for your time and quick response. I'll check with my lawn service to verify type used. Thanks again!!

[@davidschmidt270]

@@robertforshey21 dear Rob....I know this finds you rather late...9 months! LOL .....but if it was me I wouldn't Sir...a lot of those chemicals are just no good period...if you were going to use the compost for ornamentals or for your tree..maybe yeah but for your garden heck no..... just my opinion

[@noname-mu6kn]

I throw garlic and mint in

[@theskyehiker]

Some good ideas. But the rats in my hood have eaten through those round plastic bins to get access to the compost. Devils.

[@adrenalinejen]

Same. Just discovered this yesterday and I am absolutely beside myself with frustration not only about the rats, but that they ruined my bin. grrr..

[@wilmafernandez6765]

Hi I just planing to do my first compost, but I really worried about the mice or rat coming into my compost I did the pallets wood 🥺

[@KayWessel]

Any tips for composting in environments that are below freezing point during winter?

[@GardensThatMatter]

Hi Kay. Our tips for freezing winter composting are basically the same for any environment. The heat in compost is enabled by bacteria in your pile (not the weather) and if you get the carbon to nitrogen ratio right (mix of brown and green material), the bacteria will do its work, even in winter. It may take longer in cold weather than in warm, but decomposition will still happen. The main thing to control is snow on top of your pile. As it melts, the water can log your pile which slow it down. In the winter, we make sure we have a nice thick layer of leaves on top (for insulation) and we cover the pile with a lid or tarp. Covering the pile also will keep some of the heat in as the bacteria munches on the material. Where we live, we don't have a lot of below freezing temps (except at night), but we do experience some cold weather. But it doesn't keep us from composting. We start many piles or bins in the fall with the leaves and let it compost all winter, and we always have a good stock of compost come spring. Hope this helps Kay. Thanks for the question and for watching our videos.

[@yukonjacque1656]

Don’t want to kill rats just move them along. Saw a possum once on our fence, our howling beagle give him up one night. Not sure if possums eat scraps? Thanks for tips.

[@pauljohnson2372]

Yes they do. They are opportunistic feeders and omnivores. They are are friends, cleaning up stuff we'd rather not deal with, plus they eat ticks

[@owenwalters7186]

Please can someone answer me , if my compost and chicken manure is full of rat and mice droppings can I still use it? In other words is are the rat droppings poisonous. Thanks for the great video

[@VelmaB1]

I wouldn’t recommend it, especially if you’re planning on using it on plants you’re going to eat. Rat poo/pee can transmit nasty diseases.

[@pearljamin]

Can I get a link to the large black bin with screw on top?

[@citizenshipkingdomofgod8108]

I noticed a squirrel in my garden where the leaves are at least four inches high. It is the first time for this creature. How do I keep him off my property? He will eat the garden plants.

[@GardensThatMatter]

Unfortunately, there is not a good way to keep squirrels OFF your property. They are pesky, persistent, clever creatures. Squirrels will definitely eat garden plants, but usually only if they can't find a better option, like nuts and seeds (their preferred food). We have many squirrels on and around our property and we consider them part of the ecosystem. That is not to say we don't find them to be an occasional nuisance, but we are able to live with them. We have many nuts trees to keep them mostly satisfied, but we have seen them running up trees with a stalk of corn from our garden or an apple from our orchard. And we do often find nuts buried in the garden mulch. But like I said, we are able to live with and among squirrels. We have heard of many methods of deterring squirrels, but I don't personally have a good solution for you, but here are 2 links to other resources that might help. www.almanac.com/pest/squirrels# howtostopsquirrels.com/do-squirrels-eat-plants/ Good Luck.

[@thekopys3094]

I've been composting for decades. I have 2 compost bins, one that I can spin with a hand crank, and one that looks like the one in the video. Today, for the first time, I was cutting up some dead plants into the bin without the crank, and noticed a little furry head pop up on the inside wall of the bin...Kind of freaked me out as I've never had this problem before. I'm wondering if this creature should die in the bin, what kind of problems might come of that? I don't really know if it was a mouse, rat, or mole...I actually didn't see any eyes, and it went back into the bin before I got a chance to try and take a photo. I'm not sure what my next step should be???

[@Marcel_Audubon]

the traditional next step is to climb up onto the nearest chair and scream, "EEK!" just as loudly as you can. I've never had a rodent problem, but they always seem to use this time honored technique in cartoons. Hope this helped!

[@PopleBackyardFarm]

great tips new friend Ruthie

[@frankieblount8760]

Iam in the south and they say we should use dead fish that we get from the lake, Would this be ok to do

[@GardensThatMatter]

Hi Frankie. Are you asking if fish is ok to use in compost? You are asking this question in the comment section of the video about keeping rodents out of your compost. We often put the leftover fish parts after cleaning fish we catch in our compost. In fact, we just composted the skin and bones (and guts) from a nice bass my husband caught a few days ago. Fish contain lots of nutrients that are good for the microbes in soil, so it is a good addition to compost. Since fish are rather smelly, and are a protein that most rodents would find as a tasty snack, we make sure we bury fish deep in the center of an active (hot) compost pile and before covering with leaves, straw, or other brown material, we cover the fish completely with soil or finished compost. This helps disguise the smell a little. Does this answer your question?

[@frankieblount8760]

@@GardensThatMatter I am sorry for the delay in my response, I am still learning how to use KZbin, my daughter has been teaching me how to use it. I really liked your presentation as a beginner. I have seen other videos stating not to use fish in composting, but I live on the lake and have many fish that can be used. As well as brown leaves. It is hard for an old man to understand all of these different conversations about ratio of materials to balance the compost pile for the most efficient composting method. I am slowing beginning to understand. I do wish to continue to grow my knowledge on composting so that I can successfully make a wonderful garden.

[@GardensThatMatter]

@@frankieblount8760 Hi Frankie. Glad to hear you are learning about compost and learning how to use KZbin. There is lots of information out there on KZbin, (and on the internet in general). So much so that you can easily get overwhelmed. You are right, many experienced gardeners and composters will tell you not to compost fish, or any other meat. And for some beginners, this is good advice until they fully grasp the science behind compost, have more experience, are confident, and are ok with the fact that proteins (like fish) will often attract rodents and other animals. We have been composting meats, dairy, and other protein foods for many years and feel confident about doing so. It can be overwhelming to grasp the ratio aspects of green versus browns like you mentioned. We have done a ton of research and have tried our best to distill it down and make it easy to understand. Have you watched our 3 part series called Quick Start to Composting here on our KZbin channel? These videos started out as a course we taught before we decided to put in on KZbin for free. It covers the basics of composting, including some of the science behind how it works, and how to calculate the ratios. Here is a link if you haven't seen it yet. kzbin.info/aero/PLSGk426DySd9a6BG3bHm42yb5dGhEc73a If reading is more your style, we do have a digital book on our website called "The Happy Garden Guide to Composting" which I wrote to be a companion to the Quick Start to Composting Series. Along with the book and videos, we have included several downloadable and printable charts. One of charts is called "Characteristics of Potential Compost Ingredients" which outlines the carbon to nitrogen ratios of common materials and gives you a formula for how to calculate the ratio by volume of specific materials. It is really handy and makes it easy to know how much of each material to put in your bin to have an ideal ratio. Other printable charts include "The Ins and Outs of Compost" (which explains what can and can't go in your bin), a Troubleshooting Guide, and some tutorials. If you are interested, the book and downloads are $29 and can be found on our website. Here is a link to our courses page. Just click link below and then click on "Happy Garden Guide to Composting" button. Then follow instructions. www.gardensthatmatter.com/shop/ So glad you reached out and that you found our channel. We are currently working on our video schedule for the new year, so I hope you subscribe to the channel. Happy too, that you are learning how to compost. Your garden will be happy, and so will the planet.

[@mariansimon8374]

After 21 years of composting I just found rats in the pile. It is in the corner of my garden & I have no other place for it. I just may have to stop composting😢

[@djsimonrossprice9400]

Use sealed dustbins with lids.

[@anitasalpekar9729]

Anyone who’s had a rat infestation once in their garden will definitely hear the constant rat noises all along in the background in the video. It’s a nightmare. Sometimes I think if I’m Imagining their cheee cheeeing .

[@AtlantaTerry]

Worms. I tell people to buy small containers of Red Wiggler worms at local fishing bait shops for very little money. Watch videos here on KZbin for tutorials on how to grow worms.

[@ikramdemissie3093]

my compost did not work mice always came

[@GardensThatMatter]

Mice do not prevent the compost from working, but they are annoying and can discourage one from wanting to compost. Hope you will try again by using the tips we offer in the video. Thanks for watching.

[@seagreenspiral]

I found rats and mice very beneficial to compost as they are part of the natural recycle system. I don’t follow those rules I put anything that was once alive in my compost and get the most nutrient rich compost you could only dream of.

[@ElephantsRusify]

When rats and mice eat they poop and pee this can be VERY harmful to you and any animals you may have because the diseases they carry. Information on this is easy enough to find online. Secondly the natural cycle refers to nature not a control year around food source that's going to lead to major breeding and higher concentrations of disease in your area. Eventually they will be in your home your garden woodlands & neighbors. My main concern for you is the turning or moving of contaminated compost as a few of the top diseases are respiratory related if kids or other adults help in your garden please make them aware of your system so they don't unknowingly contract.

[@jcl5345]

@@ElephantsRusify History is replete with evidence of plague Yersinia pestis which lives in fleas that live on rodents. You just don't want to attract rats and mice to your gardens.

[@EleanorPeterson]

🐀👀 Yep. Rodents can certainly be a nuisance. I'm based in the grey and soggy north of England, though, so my main problem is with slugs. Meanwhile... From the very small to the very large... I lived in East Africa [Kenya] some years ago when my dad was with the Flying Doctor Service, and we had some friends whose village vegetable garden was regularly raided by... elephants. 😲 The heffalumps were remarkably bright and (of course) had excellent memories, so they knew exactly when the crops would be at their best and ready to harvest. Maize [sweetcorn] was their favourite, but they also loved peas, beans, and cabbages. In lean years they'd dig up the ground for potatoes and carrots, leaving the whole area looking like the Somme. Fences, hedges, barbed wire, barriers, and screens built from wicked 3" long acacia thorns had no effect at all: elephant want, elephant take! They always came at night, moving in absolute, eerie silence. The local peeps would track them and try to drive them away with flaming torches and by making a noise clattering metal pots and pans together, but the only way to keep the crop was to harvest it the day before the pachyderms pounced. Sorry to have wandered off topic...

[@GardensThatMatter]

Oh wow. Great story. Great as in I've never heard a story like that, not great because elephants destroyed the vegetable gardens. I think I would take the slugs (or mice) any day. Slugs can be lured away with beer. Thanks for sharing your story.

[@putinhynes3848]

My compost was really coming along and then I saw a rat. I threw it all in the trash.

[@carolkontur1442]

Digging a hole in middle and then covering doesn't work. Rodents,especially racoons and possum have great noses,and digs up stuff.

[@marshallkohlhaas80]

baking powder ,flour, and sugar, mix , kills rats.

[@ERMAV]

I stopped waiting my time with compost and just burry my food waste right in the garden. It works better and is about 100x LESS work. Give it a try!

[@GardensThatMatter]

Good idea! This definitely works to get organic material back into the soil as well.

[@patriciarussell1177]

Are you organic in your car doing videos

[@TruckTaxiMoveIt]

Only living rodents are a problem dead rodents actually help. Dead animals are a great phosphorus resource for your fruiting trees.

[@Marcel_Audubon]

you just talked me out of composting

[@micahcantu5905]

Listen you should be fine. Just only compost fruits and veg from the kitchen and make sure the pile is hot and moist (about as moist as a ringed out sponge). And burry your scraps. Good luck.

[@watermelonlalala]

@@micahcantu5905 I buried some scraps in my garden and found two little holes dug into the spot soon after. Last week I buried some scraps in a mole or vole damaged spot way out on a front lawn near the street. Same two holes appeared. Really amazed and creeped out.

[@micahcantu5905]

@@watermelonlalala did you bury meats? I don’t think rotting veg would attract an animal but meat might. It very well could have been a squirrel.

[@johac7637]

Nope, rodents, be it mice, rats, ground squirrel, gopher, they aren't tolerated on or in my yard, garden orchard. Between the cat, JR dog and traps they get the message. Sorry not around me.

[@annievan-dory2567]

If you make more helpful videos, could you please speak slower? Thanks