[tagwex]

I have been watching a few blackbirds and pigeons from the kitchen window that alight on my veg patch when I go in and I just presumed that they were picking at insects. But today I went to inspect the drills that i seeded just over two weeks ago with beetroot, peas, carrots and onions and nothing yet has appeared above ground out of approx. the 2000 seeds that went in. Maybe with the hot weather they are just not appearing yet but I would have thought that something would be showing by now. Do you think those feathered blighters are digging up the seeds? If so I will be getting a gun soon, seriously though if it is them what is the best way to keep them away? I did notice that a few germinated peas were on top of the ground today which got me wondering. Also my second batch of dwarf beans have a few of the beans dislodged from their pots too. Maybe I am jumping the gun and should wait another week to see how things develop but that will be three weeks wasted and I was virtually on the last chance for sowing them then.

[Good guy]

Patience is a great virtue! Seeds will probably germinate now we have some rain to go with the heat.Having said that, birds might have eaten some.

I like to have birds in the garden - they consume vast quantities of pest insects, snails etc. Admittedly, I need to protect my soft fruit from their depredations and I wouldn't want the wood pigeons stripping my young plants in the spring. It's all a matter of checks and balances and trying to work with, not against, nature.

[sgmgarden]

I would suggest you do what you said and give it another week or so to see how things progress. I do hope you get it sorted though because after all that planting it would be a shame for it all to be ruined. Let us know how you get on

[tagwex]

Hi good guy,

Yes birds are a valuable resource in the garden but I didn't think that they would/could dig down and eat the seeds if indeed that is what they are doing. The proof will be when the seeds sprout, if at all.
We have had virtually continuous rain for 35 hours now and none for at least 4 weeks prior to that but I have been out nearly every night with the hose (we have put in too much work to lose it all now) so maybe they will germinate soon, I just thought that some would be up by now. I also noticed that some of the spring onions and french beans (only 6" high) had been pulled out of the soil, roots and all. Is it overkill to put up a net over the seeds that birds might prefer? I have a net over the strawberries.

[tagwex]

Hi sgmgarden,

Don't worry if all that lot come up I will be letting everyone know. We had to squeeze them into the last few available drills, carrots were sown three across, beetroot and onions two across each drill. The ground was only ready for sowing in early June due to moving house in April hence everything is a bit late with us this year so we really don't need delays caused by pigeons etc. or else we will have nothing.
I was in Dunfermline a few years back, nice place.

[sgmgarden]

Well I do hope they pigeons stay away and leave you alone! Believe it or not I am actually 5 minutes away from Dunfermline. Dunfermline is my local town.

[tagwex]

I had to look up Inverkeithing as I hadn't heard of it and then remembered that I had been near there a few years back.

[sgmgarden]

Yes it's not far from Dunfermline. Good luck with the pigeons

[tippben]

Pigeons will eat brassica leaves. By all means, shoot and eat them, as long as you are able to positively identify them as wood pigeons. Stock Doves and Turtle doves are extremely rare. Collared Doves aren't, but I don't know what they taste like. Feral pigeons (street pigeons) are to be avoided. If you don't fancy eating them, maybe you'd be better off investing in some bird netting for your crops, rather than a shotgun?

Any other birds can disturb seedlings in their search for pests to eat, but if yours is a fairly new plot, especially if converted from grassland, they are doing more good than harm. Please don't shoot any small birds: it's illegal, apart from anything else, and their populations are in serious decline. I'd go down the protection route before buying a gun. By the time you've done all the storage cabinet stuff, licenses etc, not to mention the cost of cartridges, you might as well have bought the veggies. Unless you plan to eat your prey...

[tagwex]

@tippben: Calm down. calm down. I mentioned shooting them tongue in cheek. I don't have a gun and have no intention of getting one either. But I do have quite a few nesting boxes dotted around the place to encourage the smaller birds in. Definitely are wood pigeons. Just come back from the garden center after buying some netting for the brassica drills, will put it up after dinner.

"Any other birds can disturb seedlings in their search for pests to eat, but if yours is a fairly new plot, especially if converted from grassland, they are doing more good than harm." That's a good point, absolutely crawling with slugs here in the undeveloped part of the garden, weeds 3 to 4 ft. tall. That's next years project cleaning that off and planting even more.

[My Potatoes]

Gun licence only €80 for three years. Pigeons taste great. However, you would not be permitted to shoot in a public place or residential area so if you've got an allotment or veg garden out the back, not an option.

[tagwex]

[tagwex]

@sgmgarden

[sgmgarden]

Congratulations! I am glad it all worked out for you in the end

[tagwex]

Might be a disaster yet, bloody ponies broke out after dark this evening that are in an area to clean off the tall grass ready for ploughing and ran all over the place.
F *** knows what they have destroyed. The morning should be interesting. Dreading it.