Is home-grown vegetables safe for mice?
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CallaLily
MouseLover
stephlisa
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Is home-grown vegetables safe for mice?
by stephlisa Thu 21 Jul 2016, 3:30 am
So we grow vegetables in our garden and I was wondering a couple of things...
1. How safe are home grown veg in general for mice? Obviously we wash them all and peel the ones that can be peeled, but I didn't know if there was a greater risk of anything nasty coming in from the soil on them compared to store veg (thinking microbes and disease rather than creepy crawlies!)
2. We grow a number on the safe food list (carrots, turnips, peas, squash) but I had a few questions about some (the answer may possibly be that they got lost in translation from American English terms and British English terms for things...but I figured it's safer to ask!) The questionable ones I couldn't find: parsnips, sweetcorn, runner beans and chard (we grow swiss chard and rhubarb chard, but I'd love to grow rainbow chard!)
If no-one knows or the general consensus is unsure then I'm not going to try him on them, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask!
(Colin is currently still getting used to fresh veg but I do try to feed him some once a week).
Thanks in advance
1. How safe are home grown veg in general for mice? Obviously we wash them all and peel the ones that can be peeled, but I didn't know if there was a greater risk of anything nasty coming in from the soil on them compared to store veg (thinking microbes and disease rather than creepy crawlies!)
2. We grow a number on the safe food list (carrots, turnips, peas, squash) but I had a few questions about some (the answer may possibly be that they got lost in translation from American English terms and British English terms for things...but I figured it's safer to ask!) The questionable ones I couldn't find: parsnips, sweetcorn, runner beans and chard (we grow swiss chard and rhubarb chard, but I'd love to grow rainbow chard!)
If no-one knows or the general consensus is unsure then I'm not going to try him on them, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask!
(Colin is currently still getting used to fresh veg but I do try to feed him some once a week).
Thanks in advance
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Re: Is home-grown vegetables safe for mice?
by MouseLover Thu 21 Jul 2016, 7:48 am
If they're fit for human consumption then I can't see why not?
Parsnips (I would think they'd need to be cooked?), sweetcorn and runner beans are all safe - I have no idea what chard is
on Christmas day my mice get given a mini Christmas dinner and they have always absolutely LOVED roast parsnips
Parsnips (I would think they'd need to be cooked?), sweetcorn and runner beans are all safe - I have no idea what chard is
on Christmas day my mice get given a mini Christmas dinner and they have always absolutely LOVED roast parsnips _________________
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Re: Is home-grown vegetables safe for mice?
by CallaLily Thu 21 Jul 2016, 8:01 am
Yes, home grown veggies are fine. Washed of course (store bought ones should be too). Not sure if you spray any chemicals on your garden. Organic is best but if not, washing well and peeling is good enough.
I'm not sure about parsnips. Cook the beans first. Corn and chard are safe. The list is really just a small start, far from complete.
I'm not sure about parsnips. Cook the beans first. Corn and chard are safe. The list is really just a small start, far from complete.
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Re: Is home-grown vegetables safe for mice?
by stephlisa Thu 21 Jul 2016, 8:46 am
Thanks for the replies!
I cook all the vegetables for Colin anyway, I remember reading on TFM that it's nicer on mouse stomachs? (Maybe I made that up?)
@CallaLily We grow organically and always will do (one of the reasons I love growing veg), with the exception of dealing with blights and aphids on the apple trees. Thank you for the info
All veg get washed in this house - particularly so if Colin is having them!
I guessed the list was far from complete, but I figured I should do my research by asking questions!
@MouseLover - Chard is a bit like spinach, its quite a common thing for vegetable growers to grow but I don't think I've ever seen it in a shop! And it looks pretty if you have rainbow chard...I really want to grow rainbow chard (literally a rainbow of coloured stalks!). Swiss chard has lovely white stalks and rhubarb chard has red stalks (like rhubarb plants). I love the idea of a mini Christmas dinner for mice! I'll definitely be thinking about doing that!
I cook all the vegetables for Colin anyway, I remember reading on TFM that it's nicer on mouse stomachs? (Maybe I made that up?)
@CallaLily We grow organically and always will do (one of the reasons I love growing veg), with the exception of dealing with blights and aphids on the apple trees. Thank you for the info
All veg get washed in this house - particularly so if Colin is having them!
I guessed the list was far from complete, but I figured I should do my research by asking questions!
@MouseLover - Chard is a bit like spinach, its quite a common thing for vegetable growers to grow but I don't think I've ever seen it in a shop! And it looks pretty if you have rainbow chard...I really want to grow rainbow chard (literally a rainbow of coloured stalks!). Swiss chard has lovely white stalks and rhubarb chard has red stalks (like rhubarb plants). I love the idea of a mini Christmas dinner for mice! I'll definitely be thinking about doing that!
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Re: Is home-grown vegetables safe for mice?
by Ealexander Thu 21 Jul 2016, 2:21 pm
I bet the home grown stuff is better for him than the store stuff! My mom has a basswood tree and she cuts and bakes twigs for my mouse. I trust her plants because I know she doesn't spray any toxic chemicals in her yard.
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Re: Is home-grown vegetables safe for mice?
by River Thu 21 Jul 2016, 4:52 pm
I get Chard in salad mixes occasionally. Don't know if its safe oor mice, though. Isn't chard the one with some pink/purple on them?
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Re: Is home-grown vegetables safe for mice?
by CinnamonPearl Thu 21 Jul 2016, 5:16 pm
I'm pretty sure chard is safe.
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Re: Is home-grown vegetables safe for mice?
by stephlisa Fri 22 Jul 2016, 1:57 am
@River chard can come with stalks of many colours (pink, red, purple, white, yellow) they grow from seed like that, makes a pretty garden, I'll post a photo later!
@CinnamonPearl thank you :-)
@CinnamonPearl thank you :-)
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Re: Is home-grown vegetables safe for mice?
by scaredymouse Fri 22 Jul 2016, 2:03 am
chard is perfectly safe and critters seem to like it a lot.
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Re: Is home-grown vegetables safe for mice?
by stephlisa Fri 22 Jul 2016, 2:09 am
@scaredymouse thanks - today is veg day so I'm hoping to try him on some of our veg :-)
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Re: Is home-grown vegetables safe for mice?
by scaredymouse Fri 22 Jul 2016, 2:16 am
I have a garden in my backyard and grow stuff especially for the mice. I love being able to go outside and pluck a single kale leaf off the bottom of the plant, rinse it off and plop it in the tank. I grow kale, broccoli, green beans, various herbs, zucchini, yellow squash, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, carrots, and romaine lettuce. Since we don't use any chemicals, everything in my yard is safe. Even the dandelions, which mice love. I'm going to be making zucchini bread today and the mice are going to be so happy. It's not great for them because of the sugar but it's perfectly safe as a treat. Besides Gilly and Furgie are 27 months old tomorrow, so we have to celebrate.
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