Local Harvest Gardening

I am going to be turning my front lawn into growing space but am trying to decide between growing in ground or raised beds. We do have moles that are very active. I did raised beds in the backyard as I didn't want the mole mounds pushing up any crops. So far so good.

Has anyone had any luck with planting certain plants to deter the moles?

None that I know of...I know a lot of garden centers sell caper spurge or mole plant which is supposed to deter them, but I am pretty sure it is ineffective. I have never had moles in my vegetable garden but suppose it is a good place for them to hang out.

We have a few moles regularly around, and we see occasional mole and vole tunnels in the in-ground growing areas but they do not appear to be damaging the crops to any noticeable extent. So I'd say don't give up too soon.

I've not tried aromatic crops or any other deterrents because the level of disturbance hasn't been high. (That said, I sometimes wonder if my rosemary bush is struggling because of a mole hill right at the base last year...) It reminds me of the Japanese saying "The best fertiliser is the shadow of the gardener"; regularly spending time in your garden will reduce mammal activity there, too!