Spring is the start of the breeding season for many rats, so unfortunately, you may see a few more of these pests springing up around your garden and perhaps your home. The thought of rats getting into your home is enough to make anyone cringe, but often, they are avoidable.
Monty explained, “The real secret of compost is life to soil. Because compost is made by the material being digested by bacteria and fungi and nematodes and the worms and beetles and bugs, you make it work like a recipe that you know just works and works over time.
“So let’s look at it like a recipe. First thing is your ingredients. You can add almost anything that’s lived to a compost heap.”
However, his compost tips come with one big exception. “Don’t add meat, fats or cooked material,” he said. “Particularly cooked starches like potato or rice or pasta.”
He warned: “The main reason for that is not that it won’t decompose, because it will in time, but it will do so more slowly. It will attract rodents. You will get rats.”
These food items tend to decompose at a very slow rate, cause odours, and can attract all manner of rodents.
TV gardening specialist Alan Titchmarsh also pointed out that rats are drawn most to compost. He said: “The place they love more than anywhere else in the garden is the compost heap. Mainly because of the heat generated by all this rotting vegetation.”
He also urged gardeners to avoid adding fats, cooked items and meat to compost. Alan instructed: “Don’t put processed food, anything you have cooked, any meat, or any potatoes. Don’t do that because it’s just an absolute open invitation for rats.”
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