Taking advantage of the lowered net the pigeons gave the cavelo nero a haircut:
When the snow weighed down the netting they stripped the curly kale:
Here's a plant they couldn't get at (just to remind me what we I'm missing)
And just to cheer me up here's this year's brassica patch. Last year's is to the right of the picture. I've dosed it with lime today. Note the sturdy posts between which I am going to stretch chicken wire. Its a narrower strip than last year and I will put in a few tall canes centrally, once I top it out with plastic netting, after planting out. Confucious said (something like) A wise man learns from his mistakes - and a genius learns from the mistakes of others.
Today's song: Lime Going To Be Your Numer One (Blondie's version of 'The Tide Is High')
Time spent this week: 2 hrs
Money spent: Nowt
Too bad for your vegetables, I hope netting will help this year.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid disasters come as part of the territory in gardening. I don't think your blog would be a true reflection of your year without some mishaps. The slugs got my cabbages so you're not alone. Better luck this year.
ReplyDeleteAs I learnt to my cost last year netting is the only way. I remember drawing back the curtains one morning to see 6 pigeons sat on top of various brassica's happily pecking away. Never again. Best of luck this year.
ReplyDeleteOur pigeons train with the SAS. Electric netting, perhaps?
ReplyDeleteBut seriously, I hadn't reckoned on the snow gathering on top of the netting and weighing it down. The pigeons just took their chance.
they are resourceful if nothing else, you have to roll with the punches I suppose.
ReplyDeleteWell I think your haircut veggies are very photogenic!!! Shame about not having anything to eat on them though!!
ReplyDeleteLuckily, (she say's crossing her fingers and touching wood!) I've not had pigeon damage and so hopefully this won't happen to me...I just have to battle it out with the foxes, rabbits and hares.
Someone told me to cook pigeons whole then pull the breast off and throw the rest away. When I see them gorging on elderberries, I think how tasty they would be, and wish I was more hunter than gatherer. But I'd probably only hit the greenhouse anyway.
ReplyDeleteLime A Believer?.
I like your determination and failure is how we learn :-). It is amazing the different adversaries we have around the world. The scourge of my brassicas last year were wild pigs, your SAS pigeons might be smaller but trained well. Any chance a decoy would work something they would prefer to eat?
ReplyDelete