So, remember how yesterday, I was upset that rabbits ate my broccoli, and put up these water bottle shields? Well, I guess it wasn't rabbits, because THE BROCCOLI GOT EATEN AGAIN.
My poor babies!
The cuts are below the tops of the plastic bottles by inches. I'm doubtful rabbits could have done this. My first thought was birds. So I lay a protective netting over the top of the raised bed...
...and put in some bamboo stakes with long pieces of twine attached. The idea is that birds will be scared off by the fluttering twine every time they try to land.
I bumped into a friend later today. He actually used to be into horticulture (I think that was actually his profession at some point). He suggested it might be the work of "leatherjackets" or slugs. I told him about the plastic covers, but he maintained that crane flies' eggs can stay in the soil and their larvae can feed on plants. I really hope the problem is birds and not insects...
Myro's mom came over to take some of my excess seedlings. I still have so many left! This is just one of three bins I have leftover.
Do not underestimate the power of insects.
ReplyDeleteIn particular, look carefully for ants. They are evil in large numbers. They ate all the leaves off my bean sprouts last year. Up until then I'd been blaming bad weather for the lack of sprouts coming from all the seeds I'd planted. But the beans had undeniably sprouted and then been eaten. And a few that had only been half-eaten were definitely being carved up piece by piece by leaf-eating ants. Upon closer inspection of the garden I found similar stripped stems from beets and other seed sprouts. Urghh.
Borax-based poison, changing weather, and lots of tomato transplants (the ants didn't seem to like the smelly hairy tomato stems) eventually seemed to make them move along last summer, but I am on the watch for a return this year.
Best of luck warding off whatever it is.
Thank ye kindly :)
ReplyDelete