Attack of the Flying Rats

Earlier this week I planted out the remaining Savoy cabbage in bed no. 2.

This time I didn't use the square foot method, but simply planted them in four rows of three, 12 inches apart.

We wanted to see how they would compare to the cabbages planted in bed no.1 that had been prepared using the 'lasagne' method with layers of cardboard, manure and compost.

They were planted and watered in well, and I liberally scattered slug pellets around to keep them safe.

At this time I was part way through building a netted frame for them, but I had run out of time so I decided to leave the plants uncovered overnight until I could finish it off the next evening, thinking that if any cabbage whites did actually find the plants I would be able to get rid of the eggs before they hatched.

The next day I arrived to cover the seedlings to find the majority of their leaves had been stripped bare, down to the stalks.

I was stunned - there were no slime trails anywhere and I couldn't understand how the slugs had got round all the pellets which jad been so successful on the other raised bed.

Len, my plot neighbour came over as I was surveying the devastation and summed it up in two words.  'Bloody pigeons'

At home I had never had any problems with pigeons eating my crops, so it had never even crossed my mind that I might have had trouble with them on the plot, but the damage was suddenly explainable.

Len said that the pigeons prefered to land and then walk to the seedlings, stripping them of anything green.  This probably explained why the cabbage (and everything else) in bed no. 1 was untouched as I had set up a network of strings about three inches above the soil which must have deterred the birds from landing.

Obviously I now had to finish the protective frame, so I used string to fasten two 3m x 2m nets together as one wasn't quite wide enough, and draped them over the frame, fastening them down with staples.

The frame in place

It might not look pretty with a badly stitched join, but it will do the job, allowing the plants to recover and grow stronger.

I also decided to use the cover to protect a couple of tomatoes and chillis that I had brought from home, especially as the tomatoes had some fruit that was almost ready for picking.

Side View

I would love to claim credit for the design of the frame, but I got the idea from a You-Tube video that I have watched - you can see it for yourselves here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWdVEmbqDQs&feature=plcp