Visits to the allotment stopped around late summer due to close family bereavement. Last month I began visiting again after some time out and noticed the carrots were disappearing, I assumed it was slugs having the time of their lives after a summer of hiding from the sun, but then out of the corner of my eye a flash of something furry alerted me to a vole-shaped hole in the soil.
Voles are similar to mice in looks although they have shorter tails, smaller eyes and fatter heads (even fatter now thanks to me). They create a network of shallow underground tunnels, round entrance holes on the surface of the soil are a tell-tale sign.
Apart from my carrots they dine on vegetation, seeds and fruit but they are also known to eat other rodents, dead animals and insects. Nice.
Well, they’re certainly not wasteful creatures. Of course some of this could have been avoided if I had harvested the purple carrots before the end of summer, they don’t store in the ground very well for me unlike the maincrop variety which I enjoy pulling all the way through winter. No chance of that now.
So, what to do if you discover voles have moved in on your allotment? Visiting your plot regularly particularly from late summer onwards might deter them but it’s tricky if not impossible to prevent voles tunnelling. Personally, I don’t wish to trap, poison or kill them. Annoying as it is they’re part of life’s rich tapestry, a valuable food source for owls and foxes which is a positive way to look at it.
I have accepted the loss of my carrots, mourned them and decided to leave what is left in situ. I pray this keeps the voles away from my broad bean seeds which have so far escaped their attention, germinating nicely nearby.
I can only hope the voles move on once the carrots run out. The ups and downs of allotment life, never a dull moment!
Allotment Haven 
I’m sorry about your family loss – same happened to me in 2016 in the summer when my Mum died, I didn’t go to the allotment for a while but then it became a sort of therapy, I was talking to her as I was working. My thoughts are with you
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much, it has been a tough year for sure. I’m sorry for the loss of your mum, I understand how being at the allotment can really help with stress.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We have mice, voles, moles, and midsized fellows called pocket gophers all with different diets. This February I’m getting a barn owl box up to keep the population in check and because we love owls and our other predatory birds.
If you get the timing right you might get a pair too and thin the population for your allotment neighbors.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is a superb idea! I will put this forward to the committee at our next meeting.
LikeLike
So sorry about the family bereavement – hugs to you all. Interesting about the voles for sure – we have a lot of moles on the allotment but not voles so far! xxx
LikeLike
Thank you Anne. No moles on our site, plenty of rabbits and the occasional hare which are lovely to see x
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hares!!! Gorgeous!! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sorry for your loss. We have mice voles rats deer and theives. I tend to swear lot. There is a cat that wanders round that kills most things.
LikeLike
Thank you. It’s such a shame people target allotments, thieves and mindless vandalism.
LikeLike
Sorry about your loss.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you
LikeLike
Sorry to hear about your bereavement.
I sympathise about your vole situation, which I also suffer from. They are amazingly thorough and sequential, in my experience! I can’t plant tulips here any longer 😦
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much. Oh they really are! Shame about the tulips, I read they are quite fond of them. I am really enjoying your blog, I started a new garden from scratch at home (flower and shrub borders) and finding your blog very informative.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s such a nice thing to say. Thank you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sorry that you have had such a sad time. It takes time to come to terms with a bereavement.
I wonder if it is voles that eat all our early sown pea seeds?
LikeLike
Thanks Sue. It certainly could be. I’ll be surprised if they leave my broad beans alone so I may have to sow more in spring.
LikeLike