The pigeons have ruined my seedbed

[Bootoo]

I was so proud of my little nursery - cabbages, purple sprouting, cauliflour,leeks - they have all been stollen! I have re-sown and have put some bird scarers around. This morning I caught a blackbird eyeing up the beetroot seedlings. What can I do??

[mummylin2495]

can you not put some of the garden fleece over them that may help

[whomovedmychocolate]

Pigeon pie is surprisingly nice

[PestoMonster]

Could you encourage some nice friendly cats into your garden? Might put off the birds.

[TheDuchessOfNorksBride]

Agree - put fleece or netting over them until they are of a substantial size.

And I've had to put electric fencing around my peas, beans, lettuce etc because of the rabbits.

[whomovedmychocolate]

Pestomonster - yeah but then she'll have an empty bed full of cat poo!

[Bootoo]

I've got a cat and two dogs but obviously aren't guarding the veg very well. What is garden fleece?? I have got a bit of pea netting which would probably do. I have temporarily put up some string all around and over the patch (apparently pigeons like a clear escape) and tied some polly bags to the string but it looks so unsightly.

[Bootoo]

Don't have any rabbit trouble luckily. I have string at two heights round the broad beans for support and they haven't been touched even though they are looking very tasty. Maybe the string is stopping the pigeons.

[GiantSquirrelSpotter]

No advice but would just like to take this opportunity to rant about pigeons and how much I hate them and how much I hate mad old women who feed them.

I thank you.

[Bootoo]

The pigeon pie would be very wholesome as the pigeons are obviously getting a delicious diet. Unfortunately I am a vegetarian so not really an option. No reason why the rest of the family couldn't have a go!

[NormaStanleyFletcher]

Protect small plants with cylinders made from cutting the tops and bottoms off pop/milk/mineral water bottles. Once they grow out of the top, remove cylinders, place bamboo sticks around your tasty plants and string black cotton thread around and across the plot. The pigeons, and in my case pheasants and partriges, cannot see the thread and are scared off when they come into contact. Another trick is to make a crude model bird from an old potato stuck with feathers and string it up from a long cane. Apparently it loks like a predator. Stringing up old CDs is said to work. Encourage the blachbird, she eats slugs, not beetroots!

[Bootoo]

Thanks NSF. I have got cds over the broad beans and they haven't been touched, must find some more to put up.

[MaPickle]

I've got chicken wire over my seedlings to protect from birds and the f-ing cats who think my veg plot is a huge kitty litter tray ... if only it worked on slugs and snails!