Original Down East

Animals such as hedgehogs, frogs and toads should be encouraged in any garden because they feed on garden pests. However, others such as deer, rabbits, moles or mice, must be kept out of the garden because they either feed on the plants or undermine them. Good fencing will deter deer and rabbits, but the only solution to mice and moles is to trap them.

DEER

If you live in the country near woodland, deer can be quite a problem because they eat most vegetation and strip bark from trees in winter.

Deer can jump a 3m (10ft) fence, so building one tall enough to keep them out is expensive. An alternative is to use an electric fence powered by a car battery or through a transformer run from your mains electricity. It is important to get an expert to install this type of fencing, so seek the advice of an agricultural merchant.

RABBITS

Rabbits are a problem in many rural gardens because they eat almost anything.

There is only one way to control them effectively. No amount of shooting, trapping or ferreting will keep their numbers down; they have to be fenced out with wire netting. It is important to use 2.5cm (1in) mesh netting and to bury it at least 15cm (6in) in the ground, with 75cm (2ft 6in) above the ground.

MICE

Mice are not usually a serious problem, although in some regions pine mice (voles), as well as the common Field mice, can be very destructive. They eat everything from tulip and lily bulbs to carrots and rose and holly roots.

To prevent them, you can either trap them with a conventional mousetrap or buy a cat.

MOLES

These animals can be a particular problem because not only do they damage plant roots when they burrow underground - sometimes even leaving the roots suspended in mid-air-but they also eat large numbers of worms. They undermine lawns and borders as well, leaving large mounds of earth and uneven soil sinkage.

If all else fails, the only reasonably effective method is to trap them, though it goes against the grain because they are very attractive creatures indeed and do destroy harmful grubs.

Barrel traps are the most effective and the moles are at least killed instantly. These are set in the main runs and covered with a small amount of loose soil to keep the light out of the run. Mark the position of the barrel traps with a stock or colored marker so that you do not forget where they are and dig them up daily.