Kitchen Garden Forum

Something has pulled 2 potatoes right out of the ground by their shoots and started eating the potato itself. a) is this likely to have been a rat, and if not, what? b) any idea why this has happened when it's never happened before in about 6 years (and we have had rats around all that time)? c) is it worth replanting the potato that's had the least damage?
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Granny

I would have expected a rat to have dug a tunnel and eaten at the end of it.
I suspect a badger?

Thanks, Peter. I take your point about the rat idea. Don't think we've got badgers round here but you might be right.
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Granny

Spuds I planted into a compost mulch were mostly pulled up and eaten by the wild ducks that take up residence every spring. I know 'cos I watched 'em doing it! Strangely the ones planted normally they left alone.

We had the same problem a couple of years ago...it was suggested that either the large extended on site family of badgers or the resident foxes were the culprits.

No ducks round here! We do have the odd fox but the bite marks on the potato are too small. I'm now thinking it could have been a squirrel - we have lots. The very dry soil probably made it easy to pull out.
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Granny

Could be Squirrels. They've helped themselves to lots in our garden this year for the first time.