This is a new departure for me. I get plenty of pigeons in my own garden, but fortunately they never seem to show any interest in my plants. They eat the stale bread I put out, and pick up the scraps that fall from the hanging bird-feeder (currently filled with Sunflower kernels, and hence usually occupied by Goldfinches), but they never attack my veggies. Well, to be strictly accurate, they DID attack my PSB one year, but that is the only time they have given me any trouble in all my 27 years at this property!
Even if I don't get bothered by pigeons, plenty of other pests attack my plants, so I have some experience in crop-protection techniques. The trouble is that most of the "kit" I possess is needed in my own garden, which remains my highest priority. I could go and buy loads more equipment, but to be honest I can't afford that, so I will make do with whatever I can put together from any spare bits and pieces I can find.
This is my immediate solution to the pigeon problem:
I have made some inverted V-shape "cages" to cover the cabbages, using the wire shelves from my mini greenhouses, which are currently not in use. Those greenhouses and their shelves have been just SO useful!
For each cage I have used two shelves, fixing them together at the top with a couple of twist-ties.
Obviously these things have open ends, so I have made some obstacles with a few short sticks. I don't expect this will completely prevent the pigeons from nibbling the plants, but at least it will make it more difficult!
I'm almost embarrassed to include these photos, because they show how many weeds there are in amongst the veg! Encouraged by the rain we had on Thursday and Friday, those weeds have really shot up. (This would never be tolerated in my own garden!!) I can see that my next visit to the plot needs to involve a major blitz on them. Fortunately, due to my thorough digging during the Winter, these are all annual weeds, and should be relatively easy to remove with a hoe.
So far, the pigeons have only attacked the green cabbages. There is no sign of damage on the red cabbages or the cauliflowers and Brussels Sprouts, but I think it will only be a matter of time, so I'll be giving this some thought in the coming days.
I am using wire shelves in my garden to keep pigeons, foxes and cats off the garden, they are brilliant
ReplyDeleteI’m surprised that the pigeons in your garden never attacked your plants. The latest victim in our garden was the cherry tree. Martyn spotted a pigeon stripping the leaves off so now to has to be shrouded with fleece. Still no rain here.
ReplyDeleteNice job.
ReplyDeleteIt's good you caught the damage before it became catastrophic. My neighbor mentioned how birds destroyed all his tomato and pepper plants after starting from seed this year.
ReplyDeleteWeeds can get the best of us, especially away from home! Hope this does the trick keeping the pigeons out! Never had a problem with pigeons and hope to never! There always seems to be a new battle with a critter every year though! Ha!
ReplyDeleteI thought slugs were munching my lettuce so I’ve been putting out Sluggo. This morning I was surveying my domain from my bedroom window right after getting up at 7. There must have been ten sparrows picking at and eating the lettuce. I’ve never seen that before here. (Vancouver Island, Canada)
ReplyDelete