Castor oil in food beds

[BoPeep75]

For the past year, we have had quite a mole/vole issue. We’ve tried several different things that have only occasionally worked. We’ve gotten some castor oil to try and put around the food garden. I know that people take castor oil internally so I’m not concerned about toxicity, but if it will affect the crops in some other way, especially root vegetables. Last year they took out almost my entire potato and sweet potato crop. We were able to take up most of our raised beds and replace them after putting gopher wire beneath, but not all of our beds have this yet. So my question is 1) should I attempt to put a little bit here and there in the food garden beds or just around the walking paths of each bed to avoid the crops? And 2) if I do that, I was not planning on mixing with dish soap as instructed. Will it even be worth it? I would be using the dish soap in the areas out of the raised beds. Any thoughts or experience with this? Thanks!

 

[Meadowlark]

Take a look at @gary350's recent experience

What did you do in your garden today?

I counted 7 onions out of about 8000 seeds that actually bolted. It is because it is their first year, onions get classed as biannual, things which flower in their second year, it's a bit surprising to me you got any. That is also why sets are such a pain for it, they are second year onions...

www.gardening-forums.com

Today I see Caster Bean seeds that I planted in the potato rows are growing. My experiment worked there are no moles in the potatoes. Years past mole population in the potato rows, double, triple, quadruple, in 3 months. I can't find mole tunnels anywhere in the garden.

 

[BoPeep75]

Wow. Is this a common thing? I’ve never heard of this. I’m definitely willing to try, but hopefully next year we will have all of them protected from the bottom anyway. Still, it’s very interesting and I might have to grow them all over the yard.

 

[gary350]

For the past year, we have had quite a mole/vole issue. We’ve tried several different things that have only occasionally worked. We’ve gotten some castor oil to try and put around the food garden. I know that people take castor oil internally so I’m not concerned about toxicity, but if it will affect the crops in some other way, especially root vegetables. Last year they took out almost my entire potato and sweet potato crop. We were able to take up most of our raised beds and replace them after putting gopher wire beneath, but not all of our beds have this yet. So my question is 1) should I attempt to put a little bit here and there in the food garden beds or just around the walking paths of each bed to avoid the crops? And 2) if I do that, I was not planning on mixing with dish soap as instructed. Will it even be worth it? I would be using the dish soap in the areas out of the raised beds. Any thoughts or experience with this? Thanks!

Buy some caster bean seeds, also known as Mole Beans. Grow 20 plants to harvest 3000 seeds. Each plant will grow 200 or 300 seeds, get them planted when soil is warn and sun is hot. Plants grow large like small trees. I have experimented with caster bean plants for several years to learn what works best. Last year I had caster plants all over the garden but moles still ate my potatoes. This year I planted 3 to 5 caster bean seeds with each seed potato. I have not seen any moles in the garden for 2 months and that is strange. Now I see caster beans growing in several locations with new potatoes and no moles in the potatoes. This year it appears I finally got it right plant caster beans in the potato rows that is where the moles want to be to eat new potatoes. Google says, caster beans kills moles.

 

[BoPeep75]

This is fantastic, thank you. Have you noticed it changing the flavor of the potatoes at all? I will look up those seeds on Etsy since I don’t believe I’ve seen them in my typical seed shops.

 

[gary350]

This is fantastic, thank you. Have you noticed it changing the flavor of the potatoes at all? I will look up those seeds on Etsy since I don’t believe I’ve seen them in my typical seed shops.

Caster beans and caster plants give no flavor to my new potatoes.