How to Make a Toad House Out of Cement
Toads eat garden pests such as flies, slugs, grasshoppers, and cutworms. A toad house adds a touch of whimsy to your garden and provides a home for the toad. Although you can purchase toad houses, it's fun and easy to make your own. Make your toad abode out of tufa, a porous mixture of cement, peat moss, and perlite that mimics natural tufa rock. Place your toad house in a sheltered corner of the garden, in an area with plenty of shade, near water. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 1 qt. Portland cement mix
- 1 1/2 qt. peat moss
- 1 1/2 qt. perlite
- Water
- Stick or broom handle
- Plastic shoebox
Instructions
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Make your own tufa by mixing the cement mix, peat moss and perlite in a wheelbarrow or bucket. Add water, a little at a time, until the mixture is the consistency of thick pudding. Stir with the stick or broom handle.
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2
Remove the lid from the plastic shoe box. Line the box on the bottom, one long side, and the two short sides with a thick layer of the tufa mixture. The best way to apply the tufa to the box is with your hands. You can wear rubber gloves or use your bare hands.
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3
Allow the tufa to harden for 24 hours.
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4
Flip the shoebox over and tap gently to remove your toad house. If the tufa doesn't come out right away, you can twist the plastic back and forth to loosen the tufa.
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Dig a shallow hole in a shady spot of your garden. The hole should be approximately the size of your toad house. Set the toad house in the hole, so that about one-fourth of the house is buried.
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Arrange rocks, pebbles, and moss around your toad abode to camouflage it and help it blend in with the surroundings. Wait for a house-hunting toad to move in.
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Tips & Warnings
You can line the shoebox with pebbles, moss, or bits of bark before you add the tufa. Press the tufa firmly against the sides of the box to incorporate these natural decorations into your toad house.
