I knew I had a mouse in my hoop house. It was leaving half eaten acorns in some of my plants. Then it started nibbling on the pea seeds in a couple big trays full of pea seedlings. I took the peas up to the house to grow and put out three snap traps with peanut butter.

The next day I noticed nibbled Swiss chard. No mice in the traps. I brought all the chard up to the house. Then today, I saw they had started nibbling on the kale. Still no trapped mice. I have too much kale to bring it all up to the house.

While I was trying to figure out what to do about the mice, I pulled out some pots to bring up to the house for planting cucumbers. I store lots of plastic trays and pots under the shelves in hoop house. Way in the back was a big pile of trays and pots. I pulled it out and out ran two very fat mice. I propped open the door and tried to chase them out by scooting round after them on my knees, moving pots and trays, clanging watering cans.

Then I decided to remove everything from the floor. I piled everything out on the grass in front of the hoop house. Then I chased the mice to the back of the hoop house and they disappeared. I hope they ran out. I found a big area where they went where the plastic was not attached to the wood of the hoop house base.

My husband said he will patch up the area and secure the plastic to the wood. I’m thinking it’s not a permanent solution. Mice can easily chew through green house plastic. And now the they know it’s nice inside I’m sure thy would.

So I sprinkled some rodent deterrent around the outside and inside of the hoop house. I found another place to store my pots and stuff so the floor can be clear. I am going to refresh the snap traps, try different baits, and try a Have-A-Heart live trap too.

No picture of mice on this post. I was too mad when I saw them to stop and photograph.