Gutted

[smallblueplanet]

Bet the jerusalem fartichokes are still okay! They're great to roast at Xmas - everyone really appreciates the taste & the humour they bring!!!

Well I guess if you've secured your patch against anymore incomers then now you can start looking thru all the seed catalogues for next Spring. A bit of dreaming of next years crop will hopefully cheer you up.

[Alice]

You have my sympathy Birdie Wife. I really do know how you feel for I had the same problem with Roe Deer. They wiped out years of work in one night. Flowers, trees, shrubs, vegetables - and what they didn't eat they barked or trampled on. I got little sympathy for everyone said you're so lucky, they're gorgeous. There was no farmer to complain to, these pests belong to no one. In the end I had to spend thousands to build fences to keep them out. The blighters can jump 8 feet or more. I still see them in the woods, a doe and 2 gorgeous bambies this year , but seem to be keeping them out of the garden. Speak to the farmer and see what arrangement you can make to keep them out and maybe even compensation for the damage. But above all else, keep your chin up, there is always next year and you can try again. That's what it's all about. Alice x

[MissyMoo]

Oh nooooo....Birdie Wife, you must be devastated and I think we should have an award for the 'best' disaster of the year! If nothing else you know how much we all feel your loss. And as everyone has said there's still time to get a few things in and growing before winter sets in.

So dust off your wellies and get back out there. Show those nasty funny eyed sheep who's boss and chase them all over the field!
Batten down the hatches, erect the barricades, lock the doors and bolt the windows. Don your tin hats and get back in the trenches. For this is war people....sheep might be slight larger than slugs or aphids or butterflies, but they are the enemy none the less. We cannot falter, we cannot fail. The future of allotments and veggie gardens everywhere depends on us.

........a-hem.........sorry

[Earthbabe]

Have just caught up having been at work over weekend. How devastating. I thought losing one plot to the weeds this year and lettuce to the rabbit was bad enough. What a shock. Sounds like there may be some good come out of it but that can be hard to see. Puts all the other troubles in perspective really.

As Shortie says post up what you can use and let's all rally round. I have Giant Winter Spinach seed which will probably come on a bit before the frosts hit and should be winter hardy. You could cover some stuff too. I suppose building a walk-in cage could help. One of the sites here has deer on it (not a myth, I have seen them when out beekeeping) and most of the plot holders have built cages which seem to keep them out satisfactorily.

Let us know how you get on with the owner and if we can help.

[Birdie Wife]

Thank you all for your encouragement (especially MissyMoo - you really brought a smile to my face!). SR, it's good to know i stand on the right side of the law. Fortunatley we have a good relationship with the farmer, as the land belongs to the RSPB, whom I work for, and the sheep belong to him as the tenant farmer. So, it should be relatively straightforward, if we can identify the main culprits, to get them moved to a different place. My boss is understanding, as his wife is a keen gardener too, so is willing to help.

Alice, sorry to hear of your own losses, you must have quite a substantial plot to have to spend that much on fencing, so to see it disappear overnight must have been very distressing... maybe we could share the award for Best Disaster?

[pickledtink]

Birdie in that case why not take a look for seedlings to do a bit of a restock and suggest they pay for that as a good will gesture?

[Birdie Wife]

Or maybe I could get them to butcher the ringleader? Mmm, mutton stew! That way, I'd (almost!) still be eating my veggies, 'cos I'm eating the beat that ate them! I like the irony

[SueA]

Sorry about your losses Birdie. It reminds me of holidaying at a cottage in Scotland & wondering why there were no tall plants around the edges of the beautiful garden until we saw the (very pretty!) heads of the Belted Galloway cattle leaning over the wall to nibble anything in reach! Maybe the farmer could pay for some additional fencing or something for your garden?

[Babspayne]

It might not be all bad - you should have had some free manure. One year my sheep got into the strawberry patch, consumed every last leaf and then went to sleep on the warm black matting. Following year we had the best strawberries ever!
Cheerful

[Birdie Wife]

Okay, so the upshot is that the shepherd moved the sheep around the house down the road to another farm. No problems with the woolly maggots since then, and I have sorted out some seeds for over wintering and ordered 20 leek plants off ebay, which I planted out this morning. The dust has settled and I'm trying to get as best I can. Thank you all for your words of advice and encouragement.