The Fruit Bush That Could Be Luring Mice (And Snakes) To Your Garden

Who doesn't love growing delicious fruits and berries in their backyard? The only downside is that with some fruits, in addition to feeding yourself and your family, you could also be providing meals to local mice and could even be attracting snakes to your garden. This can be particularly an issue with blackberries and other brambles.

Considering how tasty blackberries are, who can blame the little rodents for wanting to enjoy some as well? And where there are mice, there are also often snakes that take care of eating the mice nibbling your berries. The snakes are arguably doing you a favor since mice don't just steal your snacks; they can also carry diseases. If you'd understandably prefer to avoid this and want a relatively snake-free blackberry patch, it's important to control the mouse problem. Once mice no longer visit, you'll also find far fewer serpents in your garden and yard. Luckily, you don't have to completely give up on growing blackberries to avoid visits from rodents and the animals that prey on them. There is a range of methods for deterring mice and other rodents from visiting some or all of your garden. These include opting to use netting around your brambles, using repellent sprays, or even setting up traps.

Because of their small size, mice can be tricky to keep out of garden spaces, but if you enclose your blackberry brambles in a fine mesh net, you should be able to exclude the small rodents. Unfortunately, mice often chew through plastic bird netting easily, so hardware cloth may be necessary for making this enclosure.

If growing your blackberries in an entirely enclosed space sounds too inconvenient, then you could also try using mouse repellents. Some people opt to use mint to try to keep mice out of the garden and away from desirable plants. If you're using a mint plant instead of just a mint-scented spray, be sure to grow it in a pot so the mint doesn't completely take over your garden. Pepper or cinnamon-scented sprays can also be useful. Just be sure to reapply the spray regularly, especially if you get a lot of rain.

If repellents haven't worked in stopping your mouse problem, then you may need to resort to using traps. You can opt for either kill or no-kill traps, but be sure to check them regularly and put them in a spot where children and pets won't access them. Using a combination of these methods and being persistent should help get rid of your mice. Once mice are no longer congregating around your blackberries, snakes should also visit significantly less, as they will begin looking elsewhere for their meals.