Are toads beneficial to the garden? Yes! They have a large appetite for bad bugs. And besides that they add laugher and interest to your backyard and garden areas.
photo credit: darrenlewis1984
I never thought that much about toads in the garden until one year when I grew a unique cucumber with spines on the exterior. This vegetable grew like crazy and the trellis I put up for the cucumber plants looked like a jungle. It was so full the cucumbers were hard to pick and the area was shady.
One day I noticed I had left a little clay pot near the bottom of the trellis. (I cover all small squash and cucumber seedlings at night when they are young. It protects them from squash bugs.) I was going to pick it up and put it away until I noticed a toad was using it for a house. The pot gave the toad a dark, moist hiding place during the day.
The toad seemed content to stay in the cucumber patch area. It would watch me, tucked away in the pot, work in the gardens.
The next year I put a terra cotta pot back in the garden in a shady area and the toad returned. Every night, toads will stalk and consume 50 to 100 unwanted pests including slugs, cut worms, and flies. So if you like natural insect control, the toad is your answer.
To attract toads to your garden or near your pond or water garden, find a location to attract toads. You are looking for a soft, moist area with as little wind as possible. You also need an area about one foot square in an area that you can leave alone.
Next, build your toad a home. Any form of natural, miniature cave-like waterproof sturdy shelter will do. The toad just needs to be able to move in and out freely, remain on cool, moist soil while inside, and are hidden from overhead predators and severe weather.
photo credit: mara
A favorite method is to lay a medium-sized unglazed terra cotta flowerpot on its side and sink part of it into the ground. Toads love to climb inside and the clay pot provides a moist climate. Stones or bricks can also be arranged into a permanent mini shelter, but they require more work to set up.
Some people recycle other types of old, broken heavy plant containers. They turn them upside down in the garden after breaking a large enough opening on the top edge as a doorway. By using a broken pot you have you can use colors that match your yard or plants. It can even be considered garden art.
You can even buy commercial toad houses in garden centers and garden supply stores. But why not have the fun of making the toad house yourself? And it’s a great children’s project.
The last step is to protect the surroundings. Place the pot in a place that has some privacy. And make sure the area has little or no chemicals that would hurt a toad. Those who attract toads for garden pest control usually use natural methods in their gardens, so toxins in the garden are probably not a concern. A pool area might have toxins though.
You can further attract toads by providing a flat stone for a sunning area that gets sun, but is also somewhat surrounded by vegetation or natural shelter. This will give them protection and a feeling of security.
Toads don’t need as much water as frogs; you can provide water by setting a shallow waterproof tray with pebbles and stones on the ground. A gradual edge works best, and no deeper than an inch or so of water is needed.
Note: Frogs and toads are disappearing, so when you attract toads, you’re also helping the planet. And you are practicing natural garden pest control.
.png)
Recent Comments