Watering Seedlings and protecting them from the pigeons ...

Growing vegetables can often lead to odd behaviour. Today I found myself between rain showers dashing back and forth with watering cans filled to the brim to water the seedlings. Why bother when it looks like rain? The soil is so dry that watering before it rained seemed like a good idea. If it rains over night instead of landing on a crust of soil, hopefully the rain will reach the roots of my seedlings.

Job two, was to try to protect my growing peas with something to keep the pigeons from pecking at them. I could tell they had made a start on this already even though I thought the pea-sticks would keep them off. The tell tale signs are the pretty little decorative edging that the pea leaves had acquired. Left  without protection the pigeons will continue to attack the peas until there is nothing left to grow.

Last year I tied black cotton across the area, it worked in some places and not in others. I have resorted to placing 'collars' of cut down milk and orange squash bottle over the peas,french beans and courgettes. they need to be deep enough, or the birds just peck the seedling anyway. If I remember rightly once the seedlings become more established the birds leave them alone. I hope that happens soon. I also need to net the fruit as the currants are disappearing from the currant bushes and they have not even changed to their ripening colour yet. The pigeons at the allotment are as you can imagine quite fat from their pilfering ways.