Badgers!!!

[rosyb]

Having gone down to my new allotment this weekend (was very exciting pulling up cooch grass in the hail...) I got talking to one of the old boys down there. I was telling him how I wanted to do a 3 sisters bed with sweetcorn, beans of some sort and squash underneath. He then informed me that there is a badger problem at the allotments! and their favourite tipple is sweet corn plants.

Because I only have a mini allotment and don't have space to build massive great badger proof fences I have been trying to think of other tall plants that I can grow my french beans up. The answer I have come up with is Jerusalem artichokes that I currently have sitting in tubs but I'm sure they'd be happy in the open soil.

Does anyone think the JAs will work well as a replacement to sweetcorn in the 3 sisters? And more importantly does any one know if badgers eat jerusalem artichoke plants!!!

[Hazel at the Hill]

Strewth, RosyB! Good news - get plot, bad news - protected species scoffs all your produce!!

I'd be tempted to have a go anyway....but the clever grapes will advise on an alternative, I'm sure.

PS They wouldn't be having you on down on the plot as a newbie, would they.????

[Nicos]

I'd go ahead and do what you originally planned. Time will tell- there is always competition with wildlife- so judge from your experience......
One upmanship from feeding the birds!!!!

[Snadger]

Even if you have sweetcorn eating badgers, you only need to fence off the area with the sweetcorn in it! Round here we ususlly have to put a windscreen around sweetcorn anyway so it wouldn't be too much of a problem to put a wire fence round that area only!

Unless of course you want to fill your whole lottie with sweetcorn!

[ysb33r]

Not just badgers, magpies too

Down our way a couple of people lost some of their sweetcorn crops last year. We suspected badgers or squirrels, but it turned out that the real culprits were magpies!

Covering the sweetcorn with a net solved the problem.

[rustylady]

Grandad always used to say plant one for yourself, one for the birds and one for the other insects/animals/slugs etc. Something will always be after your crops, so plant what you want and do your best to protect it - you won't always win, but some of the time you will do extremely well. Above all, enjoy

[berksmike]

Have heard that foxes, badgers and other mammals can be disuaded from coming on to your plot by hanging used tights filled with human hair (barbers and hairdressers may help you out with this) around the beds
The strong human scent puts them off ( I've heard anyway although not tried it out)

Mike

[Two_Sheds]

Badgers do love sweetcorn, but they love peanut butter sarnies more...perhaps you could leave some of those to distract them?!

[Two_Sheds]

Have heard that foxes, badgers and other mammals can be disuaded from coming on to your plot by hanging used tights filled with human hair )

Not sure about that...the badgers come right into the back garden, so human scent doesn't seem to put them off (or perhaps the lure of peanut butter sarnies overcomes them?!

[Snadger]

Grandad always used to say plant one for yourself, one for the birds and one for the other insects/animals/slugs etc. Something will always be after your crops, so plant what you want and do your best to protect it - you won't always win, but some of the time you will do extremely well. Above all, enjoy

You must have had the same Grandad as me rustylady!

[Snadger]

Have heard that foxes, badgers and other mammals can be disuaded from coming on to your plot by hanging used tights filled with human hair (barbers and hairdressers may help you out with this) around the beds
The strong human scent puts them off ( I've heard anyway although not tried it out)

Mike

Compo's or Baldricks Long Johns would do it!

[chickenjane]

So rosyB, what was the outcome?
did the badgers eat thecorn, or the magpies ? or did you use JA's as the climbing posts?