can you not put some netting over them like they do cherry trees ?

Do you have a cat?

Join the club Bulba!

On our allotments we have to net virtually everything, it's a bit of a pain, but it seems to be the only viable way to protect the seedlings.

Once the plants establish themselves,usually by the time they are touching the net I tend to remove the net.

I have just given a load of spare plants to a fellow plot holder this morning who has lost virtually everything to rabbits.

Let's hope I haven't been too hasty and left myself short of plants should the rabbits get into my stuff.

I hope that helps!

BTW if you are buying nets allow enough width of net to cater for growth . I have 2 metre wide nets on 1.5 metre wide beds and that can sometimes a bit jimp!

The other thing to be careful of when buying; ensure that the nets are 2 metres wide ' unstretched'

I bought a couple on line that OK stretched to 2 metres but were a bit useless, because they were actually 1.5 metre nets.

So read the small print!

At Croft castle we were fascinated to see a model of a sparrow hawk, made from wire and sacking. This was dangling on a long can over the brassicas. The chap there said that they had had no damage to their plants since putting it up. I could not make a 3D one but a flat cut out life size model kept the blackbirds off the apples last year. Worth trying if you are at all handy.

pigeons are everywhere this yr I have 4 of the little(well not so little) buggers sitting on my fence right now!! Pigeon population explosion or what?

I have bought fruit netting and plastic hoops. Live in peace. (Naturally Yours, Cirencester. Good investment.)
A neighbour made large hoops from plastic piping joined together with pieces of wood at the top.
Full size Brussel Sprouts poke up through the top of the netting, best to grow Early Half Tall, or break off the tops.
Our Council cleared them out last year but it took all summer. They must have put poisoned bait down, because one plummeted into my back garden and died. Now they are back again but not so many.

Nets? I don't particularly life the thought of dealing with them, as Teegee says 'it can be a bit of a pain'. Then, losing all the brassicas is also a pain. I will check it out.
Thanks for all your responses.

your welcome .

you would be better off netting with hoops etc. coz once the pigeons have left alone, the cabbage whites will move in.

Use thin sticks around the plant with the sharp side up.
Last year I tried placing fake birds on short poles and that worked pretty well too.
Also try hammering a large nail through the rim of some aluminum plates. Run string through holes in the plates and string them up in pairs near your plants. When the wind blows the noise will scare the birds away.

the netting is the only real way of stopping most beasties . pideons willhave as many clutches of eggs as possible . i have a large apple tree with a very high fruit count but the birds can empty the tree in litteraly days not that i like cherries or mind myself but you get my point .