Voles will not be repelled by the use of milky spore, they are strict vegetarians and do not eat grubs. And in soft, friable soil, they are digging their own tunnels to the sweet potato roots, not waiting for a mole to wander by. There is also a certain type of deer mouse that likes to dig shallow tunnels in light soil that is also a possible culprit, though I caught those more among the melons, not in the sweet potatoes. The solution? Constant Vigilance! Ok, not quite that, but I did figure out some things this year through keeping a close eye on the sweets. Voles did not try to colonize the row until there was a very thick cover, like in august. The first wave was discouraged by my messing up their runs when I found them (back filled the holes and tamped it pretty good), and I set traps, but did not catch anything there. There was no sign of them again until a couple of weeks ago, when we got our first taste of cool weather. The good news (for me) was that I had decided the week before to dig the sweets early, to be sure of getting some if I was right and the voles had not been in them. I got several good sized tubers, including some huge honkers, with a few showing cracking and subsequent bug damage. Then we went on vacation for a week, cool weather came, we got back, I was busy for a week before I got to check the vines, which were helpfully defoliated by the deer (who left the gate open while we were gone? Surely not me!). Sure enough, and easy to spot, a hole at the base of each vine, and the remaining tubers that I had left were eaten to stubs. What I glean from this is that they like the cover of the vines, can be repelled with some maintenance and trapping, and an early harvest before you see signs that they are invading will bring you some good tubers. I also trap in my garden and yard through the winter to make sure I don't get a local build up of furry creatures. And I use covers over the traps, they prefer that and it helps prevent random deaths of small birds. I did read that their appetites are dictated by the season, and they preferentially eat certain plant parts at different times (like green bark in winter, tender leaves in spring), and maybe that is why they came all at once to the vines in september. Maybe all of this will help you? Cheers!

Sorry for the double post...the first one did not show up until I posted the second one.

Hi Zuren, I have a pellet stove and it is my primary heat source now. I have a new oil boiler but when oil went uo last year I went with pellets. Paid about 200 a ton. Now there $219 a ton x 5 tons and $100 for delivery. $1200 will supply most of my heat for 2,600 sq ft house. Its still cheaper than oil for me. I really like the cleanliness of it and it renewable. Unless you have a generator or battery back up you are out of luck when the power goes out. You might want to see how long a battery back up system will last. I don't loose power too often for very long. The stove is expensive , about $3,000 installed but a wood stove and chimney is going to be expensive also. I like burning wood but just don't have time to cut it myself. I might get a log truck load next year and whittle away at it. I guess it depends on where you live and whats available - pellets, coal, gas or oil. I am very happy with the pellet stove but I am concerned with prices. I figured it will pay for itself after two years maybe three at the worst. Not sure if this helped you but its my 2cents worth. good luck.

I first noticed the bed partially dug up in one small area two nights ago. It was pretty dry at that point. But we got 3 inches of rain (thank goodness) late yesterday afternoon. The main damage occurred sometime early evening or last night and the damage was far worse this morning. The whole bed has now been dug up.