[Community_garden] Economic benefits of greenspce

Thu Mar 29 12:00:54 EDT 2007

I often see people on this list begging for documentation of the benefits of 
greening and community gardens in a form they can present to city councils 
and such.
    Here's a link to a page at "Project Evergreen" (which seems to be a 
coalition of just about every company involved in gardening) with what seems 
to be good basic info; more geared towards homeowners and a little 
simplistic, but again, for a city council member....

http://www.projectevergreen.com/resources/index.html
                                                    Best, McG

PS: If the link gets "scrubbed" (no comments, Honnigan!), go to Project 
evergreen and click on "resource library"


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <adam36055 at aol.com>
To: <jackh at knoxparks.org>; <community_garden at list.communitygarden.org>
Sent: Wednesday, March 28, 2007 7:57 PM
Subject: Re: [Community_garden] Rodent problems - Rat Out Irresponsible 
Construction and Renovation Projects


> Jack Hale's piece on rats is great - the only thing that I'd add ( for a 
> community garden in a densely populated area) is to look to buildings that 
> are being torn down, renovated and/or gutted in your area.
>
> Part of the scope of work on any demolition or construction project is 
> pest control. If you've suddenly got rats in your community garden, do 
> everything that Jack Hale wisely suggests, and look for the sources of rat 
> infestation on your block.
>
> You first contact the construction companies and nicely discuss your rat 
> issue (talk about how it's nobody's fault, and how you want to work 
> together to deal with this problem, but mention how you don't want 
> anybody's child bitten by a rat in the garden.) Say how you really want to 
> work together on this, take the high road.
>
> Then, and alas, this is generally the case, if the construction company 
> blows you off, doesn't bait, etc., then report the source of rat 
> infestation to your local Health and Building Departments. It is, by the 
> way, usually the municipality's responsibility to engage some degree of 
> rat abatement.
>
> Also, It pays to read what's on the books, re local ordinances, etc, 
> rat-wise, in your municipality and go from there.
>
> Rats are very persisistent, so it sometimes seems like a second job.
>
> Best wishes,
> Adam Honigman
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: jackh at knoxparks.org
> To: community_garden at list.communitygarden.org
> Sent: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 1:51 PM
> Subject: Re: [Community_garden] Rodent problems
>
>
> Here is some information we put together years ago.
>
> Jack N. Hale
> Executive Director
> Knox Parks Foundation
> 75 Laurel Street
> Hartford, CT 06106
> 860/951-7694
>
> RATS IN YOUR GARDEN
>
>
>    Rats have come to be an unfortunately common pest in some gardens. 
> They
> scare people.  They destroy or damage our crops.  Further, rats are often
> associated with disease and death, topics we don't like to associate with 
> our
> gardens.
>
>
> You Should Know
>
>    In order to cope with them, here are some things we need to understand 
> about
> rats:
>    Rats require four things:
> Food
> Water
> Cover, a place to hide or travel undisturbed
> Harborage or living space
> Rats tend to go from places that don't provide all of these things to 
> places
> that do. A freshly plowed garden provides only a place to burrow.  A 
> fully-grown
> garden can provide everything. A poorly cared for garden in the fall or 
> winter
> can provide almost as well as a summer garden.
>
>    *   Rats don't like people; they like the places that people provide 
> for
> them - houses and other buildings, poorly maintained dumpsters, garbage 
> dumps,
> messy gardens, etc. If you find yourself confronted by a rat, make sure it 
> knows
> you are there by making noises (they don't see well), and it will probably 
> go
> away. Don't bother trying to chase it or kill it; it is probably faster 
> than you
> are and killing one rat isn't accomplishing much.
>
>    *   If you haven't seen any rats but think you might have them in your
> garden, one thing that suggests rats is small amounts of damage on fruits 
> like
> cucumber, tomato, or squash. Rats prefer them to leaves, stems, and roots. 
> Also,
> rats would not be just in your garden. If nobody knows of rats in the
> neighborhood around the garden, there probably aren't any in the garden 
> either.
> Rats normally travel no more than 50 yards from their burrows in search of 
> food.
>
>    *   If you want an idea how many rats are out there, multiply what you 
> see
> by at least 10. Just because you don't see rats doesn't mean there aren't 
> any.
> They mostly feed at night (bright lights bother them) and they really do 
> avoid
> contact with people.  If you find rat burrows, assume 6 rats per burrow.
>
>    *   Rats have to come from somewhere. If you have rats in your garden, 
> it
> means that somewhere nearby is a place that harbors rats and for some 
> reason
> (overpopulation, lack of food, destruction of burrows, etc.) one or more 
> of them
> had to leave. This also means that rats can be made to leave your garden.
>
>    *   You can't get rid of rats entirely. There are as many of than as 
> there
> are of us. You may be able to eliminate the ones that are bothering you at 
> a
> particular time by killing them or chasing than away, but there are always 
> more.
> They begin breeding at 3 to 5 months of age, and each female produces 20 
> or so
> young in a year. The best strategy seems to be to try to keep the 
> population
> down and to keep rats out of our living and gardening areas.
>
>    *   Rats prefer to run along vertical surfaces like fences and walls,
> brushing their whiskers against them, probably because of their poor 
> eyesight.
> Such a surface with weeds or other materials a couple of inches away 
> provides a
> perfect runway.
>
>
> So How Do I Get Them to Go Away?
>
>    Remember the four things that rats need: food, water, harborage, and 
> cover.
> If you eliminate one or more of those things, rats will tend to go 
> elsewhere to
> find it.
>    Also remember that gardens don't produce rats. During most of the year,
> well-kept gardens should be open with no food and water available and only 
> low
> cover.  During those times, rats will go elsewhere seeking better
> accommodations. Rats only come to gardens if people maintain excellent 
> places
> for them to live and find food.  A good garden isn't a good place for 
> rats.
>
>
> What About Poisons?
>
>    Poisons can help to reduce rat populations, but there is no way to 
> eliminate
> a rat population in an open area using only poisons. Some pest control 
> experts
> have recommended killing rats with poison bait in the gardens. They 
> suggest
> using heavily secured bait boxes or waiting until the growing season is 
> over and
> putting bait in the burrows. Nobody recommends scattering rat poison in 
> gardens.
> Rat poisons are dangerous, although modern "anticoagulants" are not as 
> dangerous
> as some of the older poisons like strychnine. Anyway, it's best to leave 
> that
> kind of work to trained technicians. In the garden there is too much 
> danger of
> children, pets, or other animals getting into bait, and there is even a
> possibility of poison getting into your food.
>
>
> Things to Do
>
>    *   Harvest your crops, particularly fruit-type crops, as soon as they 
> are
> ripe. (food)
>    *   Pick up fruit that has fallen from the vine and carry it home or 
> bury
> it.  Rats aren't likely to burrow for rotting food if there is fresh food
> around. (food)
>    *   Stake up tomatoes and grow cucumbers, squash, and other such crops 
> on
> supports. This holds the food up out of reach (food), and eliminates the 
> cover
> under which rats like to hide. (cover)
>    *   Keep clear.  Try to keep the area outside your garden clear.   Mow 
> tall
> weeds regularly and keep trash picked up in the areas within 100 feet of 
> the
> garden. (harborage, cover)
>    *   Store high.  If you have to store things like tomato stakes at your
> garden, don't leave them on the ground.  Rodent control experts recommend
> keeping them at least 18 inches off the ground.  (cover, harborage)
>    *   No water.  Don't leave shallow containers (or even plastic jugs) in 
> your
> garden where they can collect water for rats to drink. Make sure water is 
> shut
> off and not collecting in puddles in or near the garden. If you need to 
> leave
> watering cans or buckets in your garden, turn them upside down over a 
> stake
> driven into the ground so all water drains out. (water)
>    *   Don't pile old plants or weeds in your garden. Bury them or take 
> them
> home. Rats like to burrow under them. (harborage)
>    *   Go ahead and use mulch. It keeps weeds down. (cover) Just make sure 
> it
> is well compacted so rats won't be tempted to burrow under it. If you use 
> sheets
> of plastic or landscape fabric, secure all edges to the ground (harborage)
>    *   Cultivate your garden carefully. Weeds between rows and 
> particularly
> along fence lines make good shelter for rat runaways. (cover)
>    *   Talk to other gardeners and property owners around your garden to 
> get
> them to help discourage rats. Woodpiles, uncovered garbage, lattice 
> porches,
> leaky dumpsters, and piles of junk near your garden will make it very 
> difficult
> to get rid of rats.
>    *   If rats burrow in your garden or near it, destroy their burrows 
> with a
> spade or stick. They would rather move than fight, so they will probably 
> go
> away. (harborage)
>    *   When installing a fence, leave a gap of 3 to 5 inches between the 
> fence
> fabric and the ground.  This makes it easier to remove or cut weeds and
> eliminates that vertical surface along which rats like to run.
>
>
> Can I Make Compost?
>
> Making compost is a great way to dispose of waste material from your 
> garden.  It
> is also a great way to improve your soil.  Unfortunately, even well 
> managed
> composting may attract rats or other pests.  Here are some suggestions for
> reducing risk.
>    *   Elevate your compost 12 to 18 inches off the ground.  This makes it 
> less
> likely rats will hide under it.
>    *   Chop or grind material before adding it to your compost.  This 
> speeds up
> composting.
>    *   Avoid animal products (meat, milk eggs, etc.).  They are very 
> attractive
> to many pests.
>    *   Turn your compost often.  This speeds composting and destroys
> burrows.
>    *   Learn to compost.  Frequently turned compost with proper mix of
> ingredients, water, and air, is not as attractive to pests as a neglected 
> pile
> of weeds and spoiled vegetables.
>    *   Consider a metal composter or one covered completely (top, bottom, 
> and
> sides) with ¼ inch wire mesh.  This is particularly necessary if there are 
> rats
> in the area that are beyond your control.
>
>
> Can I Get Sick From Rats?
>
>    Rats carry several diseases that affect humans.  They include Plague, 
> Rat
> Bite Fever, Leptospirosis, and Salmonellosis.  The good news is that there 
> have
> been almost no cases of any of these diseases related to rats in 
> Connecticut.
> There is essentially no danger to gardeners' health from rats in gardens. 
> As a
> precaution, wash all food taken from your garden (you should do that 
> anyway).
> Officials at the National Center for Environmental Health say, "Although
> (vegetables damaged by rats) may possibly be safe to eat, aesthetics are 
> such
> that the vegetables should be considered undesirable for human 
> consumption."
>
>
> What About Traps?
>
> You can kill rats with traps, but there is real skill involved in setting 
> them
> so rats can hardly avoid them.  Besides the fact that you may catch 
> something
> other than rats in your traps, just scattering traps around your garden 
> won't
> help much.  The other problem with traps is also a problem with poison 
> baits.
> You can't just leave them there and go away.  They have to be maintained. 
> A
> trap that is sprung is useless until it is cleaned up and reset.
>
>
> What About Repellants?
>
> All the research indicates that if rats want something badly enough, no 
> amount
> of repellant of any kind will keep them away.
>
> People have been trying high frequency sound that we can't hear to repel 
> rats.
> Some people say it is great.  Other people say it works alright in some 
> indoor
> situations but probably not outdoors, particularly with a lot of plants 
> around
> to deaden the sound.  Still others don't think it works at all.  Everybody
> agrees that it costs money.
>
>
> Dogs and Cats?
>
> Dogs and cats may kill a few rats, but once they reduce the population by
> killing the weakest and slowest rats, they probably won't be able to catch 
> any
> more and will go someplace where it is easier to find something to eat. 
> If
> anything, having animals around to kill weak rats tends to strengthen the
> population of rats.  Rats find food and water dishes of pets handy places 
> to eat
> and drink while the pet is asleep or off chasing rats.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: community_garden-bounces at list.communitygarden.org 
> [mailto:community_garden-bounces at list.communitygarden.org]
> On Behalf Of James Kuhns
> Sent: Wednesday, March 28, 2007 3:21 PM
> To: ACGA Listserv
> Subject: [Community_garden] Rodent problems
>
> Could anyone help me and Moira was this one?
> Thanks
>
> Hi all,
>
> Our urban garden is in the midst of a rat infestation.  I'm wondering if 
> anyone
> out there has had any successes with rodent control in a city environment 
> that
> they might be able to share.  Any suggestions at all are welcome - the 
> more
> humane the better.
>
> Thanks for helping us out,
> The Green Teen Community Gardening Program Poughkeepsie, NY
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> _______________________________________________
> The American Community Gardening Association listserve is only one of 
> ACGA's
> services to community gardeners. To learn more about the ACGA and to find 
> out
> how to join, please go to http://www.communitygarden.org
>
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>
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> The American Community Gardening Association listserve is only one of 
> ACGA's services to community gardeners. To learn more about the ACGA and 
> to find out how to join, please go to http://www.communitygarden.org
>
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