Darn pigeons eating my brassicas!

[raehippychick]

Hallo all

I had a search but didn't find this question before - sorry if I missed it

I am new to allotmenting and have been told that what is munching away on my lovely brassicas (Brussell sprouts and calabrese) is pigeons

I am on a really tight budget and just can't afford to get netting just yet, I have tried old CDs strung from string between two canes, but I think the pigeons ust see it as some form of fancy lighting like the good old disco ball we used to bop around under!

Do any of you have any ideas that could save my poor brassicas until I manage to get some netting please?

[ina]

Could you maybe rig up something with string and sticks? Sort of sticks around it, and string criss-crossing above.

[raehippychick]

Thanks - that sounds great - I have a bunch of shortish canes still to use so I will give it go tonight... definitely worth a try

[Helsbells]

I have had the exact same problem, I did get some netting, but they seem to see it as some sort of trampoline and they climb on top and pick my couliflowers trhough the holes grrrr.

[red]

i have a lot of probs with birds here.. all differnt birds... they pullup my toilet roll plantings.. so had to abandon that.. we have had to net our newly planted sweetcorn plants.. as we lost 5 out of 14 to birds pulling them up (lucky i have another 70 to go in!) they attacked my peas last year.. had to net them!
and i saw a little bird (sparrow i think but i was not that close) pecking away at the little leaves of my perpetual spinach.. and realise now my beetroot seedling have not been munched by slugs.. as its just the top of the leaves gone...

we have just one bit of netting and it gets moved round... think we need a lot more.

[ina]

we have just one bit of netting and it gets moved round... think we need a lot more.

I cover practically everything in the garden. If it's not birds, it's rabbits, or the cats, or goats... Pity the covers don't deter slugs.

[Thurston Garden]

Hmmm. I sympathise having lost 4 * 50m rows of brassicas to a pair of Red Legged Partridges last year.

I am on a much smaller scale this year and have covered my cabbages with metal hooped cages which I rescued from a scrap heap. I am certain when they outgrow the cages, I will have to think of a different style of defence!

The most annoying this is, on Friday, a 15 acre field next to the house was planted with Brussels sprouts. No protection whatsoever. Not a damn pigeon or rabbit is looking near them - they are all sitting waiting on me removing the cages from my cabbages

[ina]

A market garden I worked for had old polytunnel hoops over the entire brassica field, covered with netting...

[possum]

try asking on freecycle for old net curtains, or buy them from a charity shop.

[Flo]

Good thought possum - will go and visit freecycle to see and visit charity shops if that fails.

[frozenthunderbolt]

eat the pidgeons

[Christine]

Try Poundland, if you have one (Home Bargains are good for this too), as I got a load of nets and weed suppressant fabric (too thin for perennials but good to prevent new weeds from seeds) from there for - you guessed it - £1 a go. They had fleece last year, too.

[Beek]

Don't put string over they can see it and avoid it. Black cotton thread works better. They can't see it but can feel it and it seems to freak them out. Little b@&$£*& had most of my pea plants. Only my children prevent them ending up as pigeon-pie.

[Flo]

I reckon a little plastic garden gnome with a big loaded shotgun might be efficient - oh heck but there are pigeon fanciers on both sides of allotment and I'd be thrown off for scaring their birds from landing at end of races.

[freezergeezer]

I have the same problem.

If the pigeons have reduced my brassicas to leafless stems, does anyone know if they have any chance of recovering now ? Or do I dig them up and just cry.... ?

(First time planting these and I got some slug protection but didnt expect bird trouble).