Composting

Question:
We are cleaning up our yard pulling out the old veggie plants and I would like to compost them. My friend told me that we will get rodents eating the stalks she has a compost bin which is sealed off and still get rats please advise.

Answer:
Yours best defense against all rodents is a clean yard, but that's often easier to say than do. This weekend I cleaned up a lot and left a lot as soon as my back started to ache. You can only do your best. It's proven impossible to kill all rodents. Billions of dollars are spent annually to try and control them. I like to dig a deep trench to put my veggie waste into and I cover the layers with soil.
This will compost and it gives your garden a good start for next season. Most rats and mice are not going to spend too much time digging for veggie waste. They will move on to find easier pickings.