My Lettuce Eaten by Rats
You might be surprised by the title above. Do rats really eat lettuce? Are rats vegetarian? That begs the question: are rats really eager to eat lettuce, even though it's so far above the ground? This hydroponic Styrofoam is approximately 1-1.5 meters above the surface of my garden.
For some reason, a week ago I throw away half the lettuce and kept the rest, because there were some that hadn't been passed by rats and I see them on CCTV. Lettuce is usually eaten raw, not boil or made into salads, so it's important to be hygienic. So, if a little bit gets damage by rats, I have to let it go.
This is the only lettuce I have left, and it's only recently been put into the Styrofoam, and it seems the ones that are ready to be harvested are finally different in size. Quite a significant difference, but there's a silver lining: I can eat lettuce sustainably, LOL.
But what made me happiest was a plant with a distinctive fragrance. I tried growing it hydroponically: basil, and it grew perfectly. How happy I was!
It turns out growing basil isn't that difficult if you try it from seed. The treatment is the same as growing spinach and lettuce, it just requires patience for it to grow massive, but it's not like water spinach, grows so easily. There are some specific treatments I follow, like spray a natural pesticide made from garlic mix with water. I usually use a ratio of 1 garlic to 1 liter of water. At least there's still a hint of garlic aroma, even if it's just a little.
I also plant water spinach again, which seem to be my favorite thing in this mini garden. Water spinach is especially delicious when grown hydroponic because it's so easy to wash. Even if it's more expensive than ground grown spinach, it's not a problem.
Is there anything else new in my garden? Yes, but it's not finished yet. I just took apart my hydroponic rack; I'm going to make something new. Do you know what it is?
Call me Isdarmady, sometimes Mady, Putra or anything you want. I have a pretty long name but call me very nicely. There are many things I like, especially hydroponics and coffee, sometimes I also like traveling and eating whatever I want. Life should be like that, there must be many things you like so you can live well. Of course, what you want is a dream, so, when you have a dream then what you have to do is to achieve that dream, don't just let it be a dream.
There are many things I tell on my Blog, I hope you like it. Never hesitate to leave a comment, because your comments mean so much to keep me moving forward.
My english so bad, but I try to be better. I hope we can be friends without thinking about our backgrounds. Let's keep this community better and better known by the wider community.
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Maybe you’ll make your garden like a plant stand again hehe. but your plants are really beautiful! I’m so impressed with how good you are at taking care of your garden.
I have to give up a little space for the next project..
I had rats in my garden too. They have been eating my cabbage plants (see a couple posts back). They also dug up my potatoes, so I am sure they are vegetarian.
I moved my plants to the other terrace and wild parrots got them again. I feel sorry for your loss as well as mine.
I've tried many ways but nothing works perfectly LOL.
Oh no, that must have been frustrating to see your lettuce eaten by rats still i admire how you stay positive and continue growing more plants! Your hydroponic setup looks amazing and that basil sounds so fresh i could almost smell it from here. Keep sharing your garden updates they are always inspiring.
I can't scold rats because of language differences LOL
😂😊
That's a sad one😢 it took time to grow but the animals harvested it first.
Oh sorry about that... I can imagine the stress and rats destroying the plant .. it reminds me how rats also invaded my potatoes plantation.