broad beans

[miffy]

i sowed some early broad beans as directed on the packet a couple of months ago, they came up and were doing really well, then when i visited my plot a week later something had nipped all the tops off. Wouldn't have been so bad if the little critter had eaten them but the tops were lying on the ground. Question is what could this have been?:

[Farmer_Gyles]

doesn't matter much what ate your beans ..... fact is they're gone ...
i start everything in cells or small pots, then plant out later when they're big enough to survive a slug attack and not get smothered by weeds ....

[miffy]

just thought if i knew what had eaten them i could protect them from it in the future, i know they are gone and i just have to live with the loss!! lol Thanks for replie, yep good advice, growing replacements in loo rolls in greenhouse at the moment and will plant out when big and butch enough to withstand critter attack.

[Flummery]

I'd suspect pigeons. They're beggars for eating greens at any time of year. We have to net stuff on our allotment site.

[Denise in York]

Hi Miffy - I lost quite a few new shoots last year and it was definately the pigeons and other larger birds. Have this year used bamboo canes (cheap !) to make a short "A" frame and covered it with fleece ,to also keep the cold off my little beans.( weighed the fleece down to the ground -so no-one can creep in under the sides..) When they are a little taller going to replace with taller canes and hang cd's and video tape off the horizontal cane to try and keep the flying blighters away.
good luck

[Two_Sheds]

Pigeons. They'll eat anything they can get to in this weather.