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Beetroot woes

dibdobdebdibdobdeb Posts: 23
in Fruit & veg
Hello.....the beetroot were looking good when I left home this morning but in my absence something has nibbled all the leaves ☹️ They were netted but there was a small gap of less than 2" where something little could possibly get in. No sign of insects or slug/snail trails so I wonder if you have any ideas who the culprit(s) may be and do you think the plants will survive? Thank you in advance for any help or advice.

Posts

  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    The only things which cause such quick and severe damage in my garden are woodpigeons and rabbits.
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043

    I think they will survive, there is still green in the middle.

    Better than mine, after 2 sowings only 4 germinated.

    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Pigeons ... rabbits would eat the lot down to the ground. Woodpigeons are cheeky sneaky critters ... one walked in my garden door, through my dining area and into my sitting room today ... looked at the tv and some paintings and walked back out again.
    Theyre not scared of getting through a small gap 🙄 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    Pigeons ate all my red ones but left the yellow ones. I have strung old cd's to dangle around them. That seems to have stopped them.
  • dibdobdebdibdobdeb Posts: 23
    Thank you for the replies but I am just wondering if there is another suspect.....about 10 minutes after sealing the small gap, a group of a dozen or so sparrows were hopping around the edge of the bed, chattering loudly and obviously on a mission! Sparrows eating beetroot leaves - is this a thing??!! I've never never seen this behaviour before and have been growing beetroot this way for many years. 
  • purplerallimpurplerallim Posts: 5,287
    Well sparrows have gone for the young leaves on my plum, but I thought they were after greenfly.
  • SkandiSkandi Posts: 1,723
    It does look like bird damage, mice bite the leaves off at the base, rabbits take the lot. never seen sparrows doing it but hey maybe yours have good taste! You could try putting out some water for them (if you have none out already) they could be thirsty.
  • dibdobdebdibdobdeb Posts: 23
    Thank you for your replies. I have been keeping a close eye on things this morning and can now confirm it is sparrows! Wouldn't have believed it unless I'd seen it for myself. Tightened up my beetroot security so they promptly moved on to the squash plants, but the coarse leaves were obviously not to their taste. Have hung wind chimes and stuck a rustly owl in the veg patch and now about to cull my cd collection as another line of defence. Good thought about water Skandi, it has been very dry here in Devon - will move the bird bath into a more obvious spot. Belt and braces!!
  • TheveggardenerTheveggardener Posts: 1,057
    After read this I went out to put a net cloche over my beets and noticed something had started to eat the leave. I was just in time to save them, I have also covered the cabbage and sweetcorn, better safe than sorry.
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