My broccoli is (was) almost ready to start harvesting and I was looking
forward to eating the first shoots sson. I was eating breakfast this
morning and, looking out of the window, I noticed that two pigeons had
landed on top of the net protecting my broccoli plants; the net had bent
under their weight and they were happily pecking away at the plants.
The worst of it was that there was nothing I could do about it; I had no
stronger taller stakes to hold the net up with, and I had to go to work
and leave them to eat my broccoli

I went to B&Q before coming home and got some stakes and put them up.
But every year the pigeons have found some way of getting at my broccoli
at some stage in the proceedings, so it's entirely possible they'll find
another way to get at them. I'd managed to keep them away so far and
they're the strongest, biggest broccoli plants I've ever grown. Now all
their top leaves and shoots have been stripped off.

Just once, could I have one year growing broccoli without the pigeons
getting to it at some stage?

Does anyone have a falcon I could borrow?

Rhiannon

On Mar 20, 5:42 pm, Rhiannon Macfie Miller
wrote:
My broccoli is (was) almost ready to start harvesting and I was looking
forward to eating the first shoots sson. I was eating breakfast this
morning and, looking out of the window, I noticed that two pigeons had
landed on top of the net protecting my broccoli plants; the net had bent
under their weight and they were happily pecking away at the plants.
The worst of it was that there was nothing I could do about it; I had no
stronger taller stakes to hold the net up with, and I had to go to work
and leave them to eat my broccoli

I went to B&Q before coming home and got some stakes and put them up.
But every year the pigeons have found some way of getting at my broccoli
at some stage in the proceedings, so it's entirely possible they'll find
another way to get at them. I'd managed to keep them away so far and
they're the strongest, biggest broccoli plants I've ever grown. Now all
their top leaves and shoots have been stripped off.

Just once, could I have one year growing broccoli without the pigeons
getting to it at some stage?

Does anyone have a falcon I could borrow?

Rhiannon

No falcon here, but Tom Jones' greatest hits, dangling in CD form from
a few bamboo canes strategically placed over the seedlings did the
trick for my brussels sprouts last year.

Cat(h)

"Cat(h)" wrote
Rhiannon Macfie Miller wrote:
Just once, could I have one year growing broccoli without the pigeons
getting to it at some stage?

Does anyone have a falcon I could borrow?

No falcon here, but Tom Jones' greatest hits, dangling in CD form from
a few bamboo canes strategically placed over the seedlings did the
trick for my brussels sprouts last year.

Some gardeners swear by plastic carrier bags fixed to stakes so
they billow and rustle in the wind, although I haven't tried that, and
they don't look exactly picturesque. I have wondered about getting an
air gun but I'm too much of softie to use it. A net held clear of the
plants with some sort of frame or cage works best, imo.
--
Sue

"Sue" wrote in message
...

"Cat(h)" wrote
Rhiannon Macfie Miller wrote:
Just once, could I have one year growing broccoli without the pigeons
getting to it at some stage?

Does anyone have a falcon I could borrow?

No falcon here, but Tom Jones' greatest hits, dangling in CD form from
a few bamboo canes strategically placed over the seedlings did the
trick for my brussels sprouts last year.

Some gardeners swear by plastic carrier bags fixed to stakes so
they billow and rustle in the wind, although I haven't tried that, and
they don't look exactly picturesque. I have wondered about getting an
air gun but I'm too much of softie to use it. A net held clear of the
plants with some sort of frame or cage works best, imo.
--
Sue


I use sticks much longer than necessary to tie the plants, and I tie some
lengths of old video tape to the tops of them, this helps, and is slightly
less unsightly than the plastic bags method.

Steve

"shazzbat" wrote in message
...

"Sue" wrote in message
...

"Cat(h)" wrote
Rhiannon Macfie Miller wrote:
Just once, could I have one year growing broccoli without the pigeons
getting to it at some stage?

Does anyone have a falcon I could borrow?

No falcon here, but Tom Jones' greatest hits, dangling in CD form from
a few bamboo canes strategically placed over the seedlings did the
trick for my brussels sprouts last year.

Some gardeners swear by plastic carrier bags fixed to stakes so
they billow and rustle in the wind, although I haven't tried that, and
they don't look exactly picturesque. I have wondered about getting an
air gun but I'm too much of softie to use it. A net held clear of the
plants with some sort of frame or cage works best, imo.
--
Sue


I use sticks much longer than necessary to tie the plants, and I tie some
lengths of old video tape to the tops of them, this helps, and is slightly
less unsightly than the plastic bags method.


Any particular video tape? Does it have to be Tom Jones at the Palladium or
will any enthuastic singer in concert do?

Des


Steve

"Rhiannon Macfie Miller" wrote in message
...



Just once, could I have one year growing broccoli without the pigeons
getting to it at some stage?

Rhiannon

Would a large cloche be any good, or is broccoli no good under cloches.

On 20/3/07 17:52, in article
, "Cat(h)"
wrote:

On Mar 20, 5:42 pm, Rhiannon Macfie Miller
wrote:
My broccoli is (was) almost ready to start harvesting and I was looking
forward to eating the first shoots sson. I was eating breakfast this
morning and, looking out of the window, I noticed that two pigeons had
landed on top of the net protecting my broccoli plants; the net had bent
under their weight and they were happily pecking away at the plants.
The worst of it was that there was nothing I could do about it; I had no
stronger taller stakes to hold the net up with, and I had to go to work
and leave them to eat my broccoli

I went to B&Q before coming home and got some stakes and put them up.
But every year the pigeons have found some way of getting at my broccoli
at some stage in the proceedings, so it's entirely possible they'll find
another way to get at them. I'd managed to keep them away so far and
they're the strongest, biggest broccoli plants I've ever grown. Now all
their top leaves and shoots have been stripped off.

Just once, could I have one year growing broccoli without the pigeons
getting to it at some stage?

Does anyone have a falcon I could borrow?

Rhiannon

No falcon here, but Tom Jones' greatest hits, dangling in CD form from
a few bamboo canes strategically placed over the seedlings did the
trick for my brussels sprouts last year.

Cat(h)

Yes but are they throwing their feathers at it?

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/
(remove weeds from address)

On Mar 20, 10:23 pm, Sacha wrote:
On 20/3/07 17:52, in article
m, "Cat(h)"



wrote:
On Mar 20, 5:42 pm, Rhiannon Macfie Miller
wrote:
My broccoli is (was) almost ready to start harvesting and I was looking
forward to eating the first shoots sson. I was eating breakfast this
morning and, looking out of the window, I noticed that two pigeons had
landed on top of the net protecting my broccoli plants; the net had bent
under their weight and they were happily pecking away at the plants.
The worst of it was that there was nothing I could do about it; I had no
stronger taller stakes to hold the net up with, and I had to go to work
and leave them to eat my broccoli

I went to B&Q before coming home and got some stakes and put them up.
But every year the pigeons have found some way of getting at my broccoli
at some stage in the proceedings, so it's entirely possible they'll find
another way to get at them. I'd managed to keep them away so far and
they're the strongest, biggest broccoli plants I've ever grown. Now all
their top leaves and shoots have been stripped off.

Just once, could I have one year growing broccoli without the pigeons
getting to it at some stage?

Does anyone have a falcon I could borrow?

Rhiannon

No falcon here, but Tom Jones' greatest hits, dangling in CD form from
a few bamboo canes strategically placed over the seedlings did the
trick for my brussels sprouts last year.

Cat(h)

Yes but are they throwing their feathers at it?


It's not unusual for them to do that...


Cat(h) (with apologies to whomever I am borrowing this from...)

"Rhiannon Macfie Miller" wrote in message
...

My broccoli is (was) almost ready to start harvesting and I was looking
forward to eating the first shoots sson. I was eating breakfast this
morning and, looking out of the window, I noticed that two pigeons had
landed on top of the net protecting my broccoli plants; the net had bent
under their weight and they were happily pecking away at the plants.
The worst of it was that there was nothing I could do about it; I had no
stronger taller stakes to hold the net up with, and I had to go to work
and leave them to eat my broccoli

I went to B&Q before coming home and got some stakes and put them up.
But every year the pigeons have found some way of getting at my broccoli
at some stage in the proceedings, so it's entirely possible they'll find
another way to get at them. I'd managed to keep them away so far and
they're the strongest, biggest broccoli plants I've ever grown. Now all
their top leaves and shoots have been stripped off.

Just once, could I have one year growing broccoli without the pigeons
getting to it at some stage?

Put something bright red near or on the broccoli.

Pigeons do not like red items.

Alan

"shazzbat" wrote after

"Sue" wrote in reply to"Cat(h)" who replied to Rhiannon Macfie Miller who
asked
Just once, could I have one year growing broccoli without the pigeons
getting to it at some stage?

Does anyone have a falcon I could borrow?

No falcon here, but Tom Jones' greatest hits, dangling in CD form from
a few bamboo canes strategically placed over the seedlings did the
trick for my brussels sprouts last year.

Some gardeners swear by plastic carrier bags fixed to stakes so
they billow and rustle in the wind, although I haven't tried that, and
they don't look exactly picturesque. I have wondered about getting an
air gun but I'm too much of softie to use it. A net held clear of the
plants with some sort of frame or cage works best, imo.

I use sticks much longer than necessary to tie the plants, and I tie some
lengths of old video tape to the tops of them, this helps, and is slightly
less unsightly than the plastic bags method.

Yes, old video tape "flags" waving, rustling and glittering in the wind
together with Cd's spinning and flashing hanging off tall angled poles (like
fishing rods) worked Ok for us for years.
Now we have a large 6m x6m fruit cage for all our brassicas, only took the
two of us a morning to dismantle and re-erect over this years cabbage patch
and we can walk in it without bending, weed and tend our plants without
struggling with nets etc. Worth every penny.

--
Regards
Bob H
17mls W. of London.UK

In article . com,
"Cat(h)" writes

Yes but are they throwing their feathers at it?


It's not unusual for them to do that...


Cat(h) (with apologies to whomever I am borrowing this from...)




But obviously avoiding the Green green grass of home

--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

On 21/3/07 09:28, in article , "Janet Tweedy"
wrote:

In article . com,
"Cat(h)" writes

Yes but are they throwing their feathers at it?


It's not unusual for them to do that...


Cat(h) (with apologies to whomever I am borrowing this from...)




But obviously avoiding the Green green grass of home


Perhaps they want to be released and let go. ;-)
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/
(remove weeds from address)

On 20 Mar, 17:42, Rhiannon Macfie Miller
wrote:
Does anyone have a falcon I could borrow?

Make a scarecrow! I've spent a rainy sunday a couple of weeks ago
making a new head for ours with my kids. And it's a girl this year.
Also we do potato birds - get a spud and stick lots of feathers on it,
make googly eyes and dangle them on poles. It works really well. You
could even do a spud looking like a falcon ...

On 21 Mar 2007 09:54:20 -0700, "La Puce" wrote:

On 20 Mar, 17:42, Rhiannon Macfie Miller
wrote:
Does anyone have a falcon I could borrow?

Last year an allotment neighbour had abird-of-prey kite type thing
tethered on his allotment. It stayed up for ages and must have helped!
I think he had to re-launch it now and again.
Another allotmenteer sought permissionfrom the council to shoot the
pigeons with and air-gun. Hwe was turned down!


Pam in Bristol