Plant This Natural Solution To Prevent Moles In Your Garden Beds

You thought you were the only one digging in your garden, but then you found the telltale hills of dirt and realized you were wrong. While moles can become quite the unintentional pests, there might be an easy trick you can try to deter them. Plant one of a few members of the allium genus for their signature repulsive scent.

Alliums have a superpower: They undergo a chemical reaction when crushed. If moles manage to hit an allium plant while digging, the sulfur-like smell produced by this chemical reaction just gets stronger and more pungent. The scent in the roots and shoots of the plants is created by the chemical alliin, and it's why garlic cloves could even keep mice or rats away from bird feeders.

Moles — which aren't actually rodents but a different kind of mammal – may feel the same way that we do when they come across the powerful smell of allium plants such as garlic, onions, or chives. They possess notoriously bad eyesight, but top-notch noses, so the idea is that these scents tend to impact them more. Planting allium amongst your other plants might encourage moles to move on with the nudge of pungency when they accidentally run into them. When planting allium bulbs, just pick sandy or loamy soil in a sunny or partially shady spot with decent drainage, since they are prone to bulb rot and other kinds of fungal infections.

While moles often get blamed for eating flower bulbs, the more likely thief is a mouse that took a detour into its tunnel as a shortcut to food. The ground dwellers actually only eat insects, preying on grubs or worms. But the avid diggers sometimes damage plant roots while tunneling. A single 10-inch-long adult can burrow a tunnel the length of your yard in a single night, and they don't care if your garden's roots are in the way. This is why many people plant alliums as a deterrent.

However, there isn't a lot of definitive proof that planting allium works well. Plenty of plant blogs, pest control websites, and nurseries such as Wavra Farms & Nursery are quick to recommend it, but the scientific data is lacking. Even the Royal Horticulture Society says that they have their doubts on the whole hack. But the base concept is interesting, and it can't really hurt to try. Since bulbs like garlic, onions, and chives are all tasty and generally hardy between USDA Hardiness Zones 3 and 9, they make a low-risk, high-reward addition to your garden bed anyway.  

Planting allium is just one humane deterrent strategy to use. You could also try growing daffodils, another plant that the little critter may avoid. Alternatively, a mole-deterring peppermint oil is a home remedy worth trying. Burying metal fencing can frustrate them, too, as long as it's at least a foot below ground. It's worth noting that a serious infestation indicates an unusually large number of the insects that moles feed on in your yard. If you address the bug problem, then the other guys might leave of their own volition. When all else fails, call a professional.