Pigeons will feed on many plants, lilac, brassicas and peas are favourites.
Can pigeons eat peas?
Green peas are our pigeons’ most favourite pod fruit and are more popular than beans. During the season you can give 20% peas; in winter you should only give them about 10%.
How do you protect pea plants?
For an early sowing in February, peas can be protected using plastic cloches or inside a plastic greenhouse or polytunnel. It is also possible to sow peas in the autumn for overwintering to provide a spring harvest. If doing this, the peas will need the protection of a cloche or plastic grow tunnel.
Do I need to protect peas?
Although the round seeded peas are reputed to be tough enough to survive the winter they will still need protection from cold, freezing or wet conditions. It is always safest to keep some cloches handy to cover them when the weather turns nasty.
What animals eat peas?
Small animals such as squirrels, chipmunks, deer, and rabbits love to feast on pea plants. If you live in an area where these mammals are common, I would advise you to place a layer of bird mesh over your vegetation for protection.
How do I keep pigeons off my peas?
Peas can get attacked by pigeons so it can be worth netting them if it is likely to be a problem. I tend to use pea sticks to support the plants and these are usually annoying enough to keep the pigeons away. You can use nets for the peas to grow up if you prefer.
Can pigeon eat green peas?
To ensure your birds are receiving enough protein, we recommend mixing Canadian field peas, Austrian peas, green peas, lentils, vetch, or maple peas to increase their intake of crude protein.
Will birds eat my pea plants?
Peas, beans and sweetcorn are eaten by jays. Leafy vegetables are attractive to wood pigeons and collared doves, especially in winter when their favourite foods such as clover are unavailable. In fact, growing clover between your winter brassicas may entice birds to eat this, rather than your precious crop.
Do peas need to climb?
Peas come in two heights: bush peas and climbing peas. All benefit from some kind of support. Though bush peas are only 2 to 3 feet tall, they will flop on the ground if you don’t give them something to climb on. Climbing peas may reach 6 to 8 feet tall and they need a sturdy trellis.
What month do you plant peas?
About Peas
It’s important to plant them early enough in spring so they mature while the weather is still cool. (This means planting in February, March, or April in most parts of the United States and Canada.) However, they can also be grown as a fall or winter crop in warmer regions.
Do you need a trellis for peas?
Green peas don’t need a trellis, but pods will be easier to pick when vines are held upright. If you’re using a trellis, insert it prior to planting. Use netting, stakes, and string, a wood frame trellis covered with chicken wire, metal fencing, or a collection of twiggy branches stuck into the ground among the plants.
How do you harvest peas without killing the plant?
Pick peas with two hands. Secure the vine with one hand then pinch the stem of each pod and pull with the other hand. Don’t tug or jerk pods away; pea plants hang on to their support with thin tendrils so a heavy hand can dislodge the plant from its support. Pick peas in the morning after the dew has dried.
How tall should a pea trellis be?
The height of your trellis will depend on the size of pea you are growing. Snow peas don’t grow very tall, so the trellis can be 4–5 feet tall, but most regular peas will need a 6–8 foot tall trellis.
What has eaten my pea plants?
Pea and bean weevils are beetles that eat the leaf margins and shoot tips of garden peas and broad bean, causing characteristic notch-like damage.
What’s eating my garden peas?
Additional pests of pea plants include:
- Armyworms.
- Cucumber beetles.
- Leaf miners.
- Nematodes.
- Spider mites.
- Thrips.
- And then there are the cutworms — many people control cutworms by picking them off by hand. Ugh.
How do I keep birds from eating my peas?
Draped netting
Lay medium-weight white spun fabric, garden fleece, or netting right on top of your pea plants. Then, place rocks, bricks, or soil on the edges of the fabric to prevent it from blowing off. The birds won’t be able to eat the peas and air can still circulate around your plants.
How do I stop pigeons from eating my plants?
Keeping Pigeons Away from Your Garden
Install anti-roosting spike strips on strategic spots to deter them from landing. Install sloping covers to ledges and window sills. Tie a string across roosting areas to make landing uncomfortable for the pigeons. Don’t feed them.
Will aluminum foil keep birds away?
Aluminum Foil
Birds don’t like the feel of the foil under their beaks and will stay away. You can also hang strips of aluminum foil (or shiny party streamers) from the trees or other high points around your home and garden. The sun reflects off the shiny surface and bothers their eyes, deterring them from coming near.
What dont pigeons like?
Pigeons do not like wind-chimes, aluminium foil-pans (as used for fast food), shiny rubber snakes or balloons. Some commercial gel bird-repellents will keep pigeons away but must be constantly replenished.
What food is poisonous to pigeons?
Some foods are toxic to our wild birds
- Avocado. This so-called superfood is not so super for our wild birds.
- Fruit pits or seeds. Most fruits are fine for birds to eat, but it’s important to avoid fruits that have seeds or pits in them.
- Chocolate. Always avoid feeding birds chocolate.
- Milk.
- Fruits.
- Potatoes.
- Porridge oats.
What is pigeons favorite food?
Pigeons are generally herbivores but they will eat insects, snails and worms when they need to. Urban pigeons will happily munch on breadcrumbs, popcorn, biscuits, chips, rice, pasta, fish and pet food – pretty much anything that humans leave behind.