Chard crisis

[la cebolla grande]

Help!!

After loosing all my chard seedlings in the garden (sown direct, germinated fine but only allowed to get to about 1 inch high before being stripped of leaves), I tried everything to stop the culprit: slug pellets (Sorry, but in desperation). No slugs, damage continues. Mouse trap, 1 mouse, but damage continues and no more mice, netting over top to stop pigeons, makes no difference. FINALLY saw culprit - a sparrow, getting in under the netting and helping self - to chard only, not to any of the other rows of veggie delights.

SO, I grew Chard (bright lights) in seed trays to give them a good start. At 3 inches I planted 1/2 up the lottie, and 1/2 on the veggie garden on Sat. Sunday am and the LOT (both garden and lottie) had gone. The same size kale next to it was fine.

WHAT can I do to get some chard going - I seem to have tried everything. I'm assuming its sparrows

LCG

[yoanbob]

grow indoors?

[la cebolla grande]

it may be the only option.......

[willowstar]

it might be too warm now (?) but would putting halved water bottled over them until they are a bit bigger help? Still don't know if it will stop the sparrows once you take them off though. Good luck :-)

[Two_Sheds]

I have to start mine in pots (slugs eat them if sown direct) and then I'd put a 2litre cola bottle on top if I were you (lid off). Or netting? Make sure it's pegged down, cos it's not pleasant picking dead tangled bird out of netting

[Sue]

I had/have the same problem, enviromesh has been the answer for me, keeps my cabbages away from the pigeons as well and no worries about tangled birds either (horrors).
Sue

[kirsty b]

I lost one of the plot robins to netting over brassicas which made me feel awful for putting the netting there in the first place. Will be investing in some mesh next payday methinks.

[Alice]

I think sometimes you just have to accept what you can and can't grow. There's no point in fighting with it. If the sparrows are determined to have your chard, is it really worth the fight if they leave other things alone.
Interestlingly, I have all kinds of birds, but never any sparrows.

[la cebolla grande]

What annoys me is that when I first started growing veggies (a while ago now!) I seemed to have chard everywhere!!

I have a cage over my brassicas (cabbages and brocolli) to stop birds and cabbage white butterflies.

Perhaps my last attempt will be to grow on in pots then plant in there (shoe-horn between cabbages etc!) and see if that works!!