I remember growing up with castor bean plants in the backyard. They're cool as hell; grow up to the size of a small tree from seed in a single summer. There was a garden and an apple tree and all kinds of stuff in the yard with the castor beans and all us kids ran around everywhere and ate stuff right off the plants that we'd been told we could eat, and didn't eat a damn thing we weren't supposed to because we knew we'd get in trouble if we did. Granted, I'm not saying that discipline is all it takes, but either kids are going to do what they're told or they're not. Whether it's not eating a castor bean or not running into traffic... there's only so much that can be done. But castor bean plants themselves are not that big a deal in my opinion. Nightshade is far more dangerous and infinitely more likely to actually poison someone. I haven't ever eaten a castor bean, but based on the way the plant smells I would imagine it tastes HORRIBLE. People hear that ricin is made from the beans and they just freak. It's true, but heroin is made from poppies and they're not remotely dangerous in a garden. Kids should definitely be carefully educated and/or observed around castor bean plants. They should also be carefully educated and/or observed around rhubarb. That stuff'll kill you dead if you don't prepare it right. Electrical outlets probably kill more kids annually than castor bean plants, though.

You problem is most likely Voles and not Moles. Voles are vegetarians and are the cause of destructive root damage of many plants. Moles are carnivorous, and eat grubs and worms. They will never eat enough earthworms in you garden to cause a problem. Both of these rodents tunnel. When I was growing commercially and had to overwinter thousands of perennials, baiting for rodent (Vole) control was a must. There is some controversy to baiting. Some are concerned that a Fox, Owl, or Bird of Prey will catch the poisoned rodent and get sick or die. My observations has been that once a rodent enters a covered bed, they donÂt leave. They are protected from the elements, and have all the food they could ever want. One year, I forgot to bait my last ground bed. When I uncovered in the spring, 1,300 plants from my stock were gone. I make my traps out of 1 ft long, 1½" PVC pipe. I put an elbow on each end. You will need to remove this elbow to put in your bait, so donÂt permanently seal it. Use the block bait only. Pellets can fall out too easily. Once the vole takes the bait they will go down into their hole to die. Many people would come to me with concerns about the damage being done to their gardens. They all thought it was moles. I would send them home with a trap and bait and tell them to hide it under some black plastic, and if the trap was empty in a couple of days then that was a sign that the problem was voles. Here is a link that might be useful: Article about Voles

Don't get your knickers in a twist, kimmsr! lol...you just left out part of the helpful information. Actually, plain water and castor oil won't make an emulsion either, but a bit of soap would help the process. By the way, ladybugfalcon, the castor oil treatments really can help...unlike some of the other 'home remedies' you've heard of. I really like the chewing gum fable. I've heard that it MUST be Juicy Fruit, though different sources dictate that either needs to be chewed up a bit OR that it must never touch human hands. What a riot. Most people, however, find that mole traps are very effective, once you get the hang of them. They aren't for everybody, though. Unless you fear that you have a severe problem, you could simply keep the tunnels stamped down and hope that they lose interest in your yard. A few mole visits don't necessarily mean that you have to take action.

The methods suggested may work on a small urban lot, but you have a couple of acres. The only way to control the moles is to eliminate the food source. They eat insects, so to control moles you must control the insect infestations in you yard. This can be accomplished only after you identify what insects you have, Check the areas of mole activity to see what insects are living in that area and then apply the proper insecticide. Different areas may have a different populations of insects and need different techniques to eliminate them.