Moth Balls and Bulbs?

Hi everyone--just wanted to ask a quick question. I'm starting to get my bulbs in the mail and I had heard from a local gardener that putting moth ball flakes in the ground with your bulbs will help keep the mice, chipmunks etc. away from them. Does anyone have any experience with this? And are mothball flakes okay to have in your soil? I try to go organic as much as possible and I have no idea about whether or not mothballs would be considered "organic."

I also live in Zone 5b--do you think it's too early to put my tulips in? We've had a few nights in the upper thirties, but no frosts yet.

Any input would be appreciated. Thanks! :D

Niere,

I normally put a couple moth BALLS on top of the soil to scare the squarrels and others away. My neighbors do not like it b/c the have kids so they asked if I could at least make it NOT visible and I complied...so we get along...LOL

So the answer is yes, you can. The moth balls won't hurt the soil.

Is it too early to put bulbs in the ground? I am in Chicago and I usually wait until the end of Oct and first week of Nov. so I get to enjoy my last blooms on dahlias and etc.

Hope that helps!

Hi Asunee! Thanks for the reply.

A little while after I made this post I found this:

http://www.ibiblio.org/london/permaculture/mailarchives/sanet2/msg00251.html

So I guess I'll be staying away from the mothballs. I just hope that the squirrels will leave my bulbs alone!

And thanks for the info on the planting. I'm going to check and see if I can get a temperature reading on my soil at six inches down. :)

I guess I won't be getting any to protect my wool clothes, either.

You'd think living natural would be..."natural," but it apparently isn't. It's quite complicated and difficult.

I'm going to try "planting" cotton balls infused with oil of peppermint with my bulbs this year. Over the summer I have found that a few cotton balls with 4 or 5 drops of oil of peppermint work great to keep mice and chipmunks out of my garage and out of my tomato plant. When the cotton balls are exposed to air, the oil of peppermint has to be renewed every couple weeks or so, but it sure is a non-toxic way to keep the little furry rascals at bay. There was a family of chipmunks making tunnels all around the foundation of the house, so I stuffed peppermint-infused cotton balls into their tunnels. The next morning I heard them at the outskirts of the yard, complaining loudly about being evicted.

You do have to use the 100% pure oil, though. I found it at our local health food store - a natural foods co-op. The lady who helped me find it said she sells about 40 bottles a month during the summer. Be careful not to touch your face or eyes when you handle the pure peppermint oil - it will make your skin feel cold and make your eyes water.

Jeannine

White_Hydrangea--it's amazing how difficult it is in this day and age to avoid all these chemicals. :(

jachurch--thanks so much for the peppermint oil suggestion. I will definitely try it! :D I've also heard that planting mint all along your foundation will keep ants away--I know mint can get unruly, but I'd rather deal with chopping up some mint plants here and there than having to have the exterminator come out every year. So far I've only got a few plants going, but hopefully in a few years I'll have a mint border directly up against the house.