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Last year I grew 80 sweetcorn plants and started them off in the greenhouse before hardening off and planting out at the end of May.
We had a minor disaster as mice ate the seeds after they had germinated and were about 2" high. I resowed and employed Monsieur le trap laced with peanut butter to remove the problem. Two mice later and no further problems.
This year as we had such a good crop (Swift F1) last year, that we have "gone large" with the sweetcorn production so that we can put some in the freezer and supply family. Some 160 seeds were sown and up they came in the heated greenhouse. There I was, all chuffed and happy, brought yon wife to the greenhouse to see them and found that the grim mouse sweetcorn reaper was back and 1 tray of 40 plants in pots were destroyed.
I couldnt find the traps so had to bring the plants into the kitchen last night to prevent further destruction. This morning I am rearmed and the traps are "locked and loaded" with peanut butter on a sacrificial tray of sweetcorn plants. The eaten tray is now resown with seed and will catch up I am sure.
The little varmints never eat anything other than my sweetcorn, not peas or beans, just corn. I dont enjoy killing them but dont really want them messing all over the greenhouse and its contents as a I will be eating it later in the year.
Does anybody else have a problem with sweetcorn and mice?
We had a minor disaster as mice ate the seeds after they had germinated and were about 2" high. I resowed and employed Monsieur le trap laced with peanut butter to remove the problem. Two mice later and no further problems.
This year as we had such a good crop (Swift F1) last year, that we have "gone large" with the sweetcorn production so that we can put some in the freezer and supply family. Some 160 seeds were sown and up they came in the heated greenhouse. There I was, all chuffed and happy, brought yon wife to the greenhouse to see them and found that the grim mouse sweetcorn reaper was back and 1 tray of 40 plants in pots were destroyed.
I couldnt find the traps so had to bring the plants into the kitchen last night to prevent further destruction. This morning I am rearmed and the traps are "locked and loaded" with peanut butter on a sacrificial tray of sweetcorn plants. The eaten tray is now resown with seed and will catch up I am sure.
The little varmints never eat anything other than my sweetcorn, not peas or beans, just corn. I dont enjoy killing them but dont really want them messing all over the greenhouse and its contents as a I will be eating it later in the year.
Does anybody else have a problem with sweetcorn and mice?
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