Vegetables not troubled by Pigeons

[john4576]

1st year grower.
What vegetables are not troubled by pigeons. I`ve had 600 plus cabbage seedlings stipped bare down to veins by dozen or so pigeons in garden. They not going to grow. Withered away.

For next year what else could i grow that would be untouched by birds and pigeons.
on uncovered soil not netting no nothing, just soil.
I would be direct sowing seed into soil, no transplanting from pots or containers.
I was thinking of onion seeds, French beans, Kale. Swede. Would any of these work.
The potatoes i got in not been touched by birds.

[veggiechicken]

Hi John and welcome.

None of the brassicas are safe from pigeons, certainly not kale, probably not swede either. Nor peas.
Maybe carrots or courgettes/pumpkins?

[burnie]

Onions from seed are not going to get a long enough season sown direct into the ground, you'd be better with sets. Broad beans and French beans don't seem to get eaten by birds so much, parsnips can be sown direct into the ground. I grow carrots and beetroots as well without bird problems

[ameno]

Have you considered netting your bird-prone crops?

[Jay-ell]

So why don’t you want to net the crops?

[Stan79]

More to the point, what were you going to be making with 600 cabbages?��

[john4576]

Don't want to net as cost of netting and the birds and cats risk getting caught up in the netting.
The 600 cabbage was intended 200 each summer autumn winter 1 to eat per day. The extra were meant to be bit extra insurance policy in case some didn't make it to maturity. And would give away the few extra.

[veggiechicken]

Never mind the pigeons, have you thought how you wold protect them against cabbage white butterflies? the caterpillars decimate cabbages.
If you want year round cabbages, you should be staggering the planting, throughout the year, not sowing them all at once as they would all crop at about the same time and those you didn't eat would bolt and be unusable.

[john4576]

I've got some thistle seeds now. Intention to make a network of thistles and next year interplant cabbage. Onion, beans. Hopefully network of thistle spines will deter the pigeons or least remove the easy option from them. Plenty more easier food sources for them. The cabbages that I did have would have matured at different times and some had exceptional holding ability in ground without bolting. 4 months holding ability Tundra, Minicole. Tourmaline. And the summer earliest of all.

[Snadger]

Its a bit extreme methinks, sowing thistles! I spent years trying to get rid of them on my last plot.
I did have tall nettles growing up through one of my redcurrant bushes though and got a good crop off this plant, whereas the other redcurrant bushes wee decimated by the birds.

[MelanieSW]

If done properly and secured well, netting should really not be a danger to animals.

I would consider netting at least some parts of your cabbage beds next year. Just in case the thistles don't work out.

Decent netting can be reused for a few years.

Last year and this I built some makeshift veg cages using bamboo sticks with plastic water bottles over the top (collected from friends and colleagues), and netting stretched over it.
Secured with galvanised steel pegs that I bought in a pack of 100.