Ruddy Pigeons

[Westi]

Grrrr!

Wind blew up the edge of the evironmesh over the broad beans. Not only did the pigeons nip through the stems of all the broad beans that were uncovered in that corner, one of them was obviously bold enough to go under the rest of the cover that was still weighted down & nip through nearly all of the others as well! Have tried loads of things to scare them off but only covering seems to work, but they will still jump on the top of a net to nibble on the brassicas. The only thing that does work is when the farmer has his bird scarer on in the field behind but that is generally only early spring & again in late summer.

Oh well will just have to go for a later sowing next year!

Westi

[robo]

Im having the same problem with my cabbages they have a distinct look of colanders, full of holes

[Motherwoman]

Depends how low down they've nipped them Westi, the Broadies may shoot out from the base.

[Westi]

Right at the base MW & funnily all laying the same way just as if they'd gone along from one to the other for a bit of fun! They haven't actually eaten them so obviously prefer the brassicas for a nibble & these for entertainment purposes!

Westi

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Westi, regarding the Broad Beans, i you sure the Pidgeons aren't taking the blame for the Mice.....

[Ricard with an H]

OH just reminded me, we have lot's of rats and mice though they seem to prefer the taste of plastic and rubber under car bonnets. (Tom-Cat blocks are keeping the numbers down) Both us and our neighbours have been attacked to the point cars had to go into the garage for repairs but they don't bother my vegetable patch. Nor do we have pigeons in this valley, possibly because of the number of birds-of-prey we have. Lot's of collared doves but they don't attack my veg-plot and whilst they regularly get taken by buzzards the doves don't seem to bright even though we love them.

[Westi]

Good point OH! I did think mice but thought they would take the seed as well but they were still in the ground. Might not be next time I go down though - I will check again!

Westi

[Monika]

Westi, I am with OH here. We found one year that the mice were biting the broad bean seed off the stem as the seedling had already come through, but thereby severing the stem and killing the plant. Most annoying. Luckily, mouse manners seem to to have improved since then.

[Motherwoman]

Mice are the reason I net. Bean seeds go in, hoops go over the rows, fine net goes over the hoops and it gets pegged down!

I do have a friendly puss cat pops over from the houses behind, he comes and sits on my lap when I stop for a cuppa. I'm cultivating him as an ally against rodents...

MW