Good evening all, I am north of Raleigh NC,(zone7) in an area that has a tremendous population of voles. My fig collection is growing rapidly and should hit a dozen varieties by late fall. Does anyone have suggestions for reducing the potential damage the voles can do. I would like to have both in ground and container plants. I have a medium size ornamental garden surrounding the house and typically loose 2-3 dozen plants per year in spite of treating with the various "vole away" products. This problem will make a relatively sane man go nuts!!!

Adopt a stray cat or 2, one just showed up here and must have left 100 rodents or pieces of rodents outside the door in the past 2 years. She is a killing machine.

Hi,
I do bury containers with bottom removed. The rodents will have to stay next to the container and continue their way. The roots are thus untouched.
When I spot a gallery ... I trap them - no choice - 1 rodent now means 60 quickly ... or at least 15, that is what I caught when I was not quick enough ...
Here cats that raid the garden look like pregnant cows ... they just chase their own shadows ... the only thing that can't escape them... it seems.
But, it's been three months that I haven't seen a cat. Perhaps a neighbor poisoned the rodents and got the cats too, or people keep them inside because of all the parasites that those thing catch this time of the year (ticks, chips ).

So take a 2 gallon pot, cut the bottom out and plant inside this false pot. If you fear damage at dirt level, put one more container on the dirt to protect the trunk .
If you have tulips ... get rid of them .
Plant jonquils instead, and crown imperial .
Good luck !

I used buried 80 liters trashcan in the past, and I'm going for 2 gallon pots now, because of watering issues during the hot summer weeks.

Keep mousetraps set with peanut butter. They are very easy to trap.

Great suggestions! The cat approach would work great except my Lab and cats have never signed a truce, however peanut butter mouse traps is definitely worth trying. Also really like the bottomless container idea.
Thanks for the tips!

They did not pick my Chicago Hardy today! The good news is that this one has no label.

hi I used to have voles tons of them we started keeping the grass cut and weed eated they disappared  the don't like to be in the open.

Labs like peanut butter too.  :/

i live in Cary, NC - a little south and west of you in Raleigh.  We have a lot of voles - usually beginning late January and peaking the end of February.  At that point the owls and I believe foxes (never seen the fox but something tears up all the vole tunnels) start feasting and bring the vole population down to about zero by Mid March - same thing has happened since 2002.

Tad

SAS-my condolences on the loss of your fig. Such a sense of loss when you find a mess like that!

Fighobo1-you are right mowing and trimming do help but the little suckers are so very persistent!

cis4elk-oh the labs do love peanut butter. I learned very quickly to put the traps under a bucket with a couple bricks on top.

Tad- your observations are on target, activity never goes to zero for us but really goes up during the late fall and peaks in late winter.

Thanks to each of you for your thoughts. It is amazing to read the reproductive capacity for the Eastern Pine Vole! Git them voles!!