Alan Titchmarsh’s advice to keep rats away from your garden

Ever wondered what Alan Titchmarsh’s advice for keeping rats away from your garden might look like? You’re in luck; the gardening guru has some top tips for keeping them out of your garden ahead of the warmer weather, but one of his tips is a little divisive, with no mow May coming up.

One of Alan Titchmarsh’s key pieces of advice for how to keep rats away from your garden revolves almost entirely around the state of your lawn. Why? Well, because he says letting your grass grow unchecked creates the perfect environment for rats to move around undetected.

‘Rats are furtive. They like cover and shelter,’ he explained in a video for BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine. ‘They do not like close-mown grass where they can be seen. They much prefer it longer.’

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He goes on to explain that, ‘if you have got long grass everywhere, that gives them access’.

‘Cut it short… and that way you can see, no rats.’

On the surface, it’s classic, common-sense gardening advice; tidy spaces tend to be less inviting for pests, after all. But there’s just one problem: it directly clashes with one of the UK’s biggest wildlife movements, No Mow May, which kicks off this weekend.

While Alan Titchmarsh shared his advice in the summer last year, the presenter and gardener is known for being a sceptic of the No Mow May movement.

Spearheaded by conservation groups, No Mow May encourages gardeners to put away their lawnmowers for the month to allow wildflowers and grasses to grow freely. The aim is to support pollinators like bees and butterflies, which rely on these habitats for food and shelter.

With more than half of Britain’s butterfly species having declined since 1976, many experts are urging gardeners to embrace a more relaxed approach to lawn care… even if it means a slightly wilder-looking garden.

So, do gardeners need to choose between supporting biodiversity and keeping pests at bay? Well, not necessarily…

If you want to help local wildlife and follow Alan Titchmarsh’s advice for keeping rats away from your garden, Nick Ee, product manager at BLACK+DECKER, believes there’s a middle ground that allows you to do both.

‘Whilst our Grassroots campaign is focused on helping people create beautiful-looking gardens for them to enjoy, we are equally committed to encouraging participation in No Mow May as a way to create healthy spaces that support the UK’s biodiversity,’ he explains.

Rather than abandoning mowing entirely or sticking rigidly to a short lawn, Nick suggests a more flexible approach: zoning your garden. ‘If you’re keen to take part in No Mow May but worried that longer grass might attract unwanted pests, try dedicating a smaller section of your lawn to grow freely,’ he advises.

By keeping the rest of your lawn trimmed and framing your longer grass area with a border or low fence, you can reduce the likelihood of rats venturing further into your garden while still providing a valuable habitat for wildlife.

It’s a practical compromise, basically, and one that reflects how many modern gardeners are rethinking their outdoor spaces.

If you plan to follow Alan Titchmarsh’s advice for keeping rats away from your garden, Nick suggests focusing on your wildlife efforts away from the usual trick of allowing your lawn to grow wild.

‘To support wildlife after No Mow May, try building something like a bee hotel,’ he says, noting that positioning these in a sunny, sheltered spot near pollinator-friendly plants can further boost your garden’s biodiversity.

Other tips for getting rid of rats

The lawn tip isn’t Alan’s only advice for keeping rats out of your garden this spring and summer. One of his other top tips for making rats feel ‘less comfortable’ in your garden includes keeping an eye on your compost heap or bin, where rats gravitate to because of the heat.

‘Make sure the structure is solid, I’ve got really strong wooden sides on mine, but above all else I’ve also got steel sheeting right around the back,’ he says, tapping his compost container. He continues that they can bury underneath, but it makes it harder for them. He also recommends avoiding adding any cooked or processed food to your compost heap, as that’s just ‘an open invitation to rats’.

He also points out that bird feeders can be a magnet for rats, so he recommends placing them in an open space in the middle of the lawn, as rats hate running through an exposed area. It is also worth investing in a rat-proof bird feeder like this one on Amazon.

The trick to keeping rats out of your garden in a sustainable away is, essentially, to try to combine careful maintenance with intentional wild spaces so that you can create a garden that is both beautiful and beneficial… one that supports wildlife without rolling out the welcome mat for pests.