Topic: Is kale safe?

[grannyjanny]

I've just been reading about kale on wikipedia & it says pigeons don't bother with it. Is this true? If so I will have some extra room in the brassica cage.

[saddad]

I find it depends on how much other stuff they can find... it's low on the list but they will strip it if there's nothing else available...  :-X

[Kea]

Yes i read the thing about the cabbage white not bothering with it..... :(

i've got it covered now and carefully nursing it back from almost only stalks!

[Digeroo]

I have some lovely redbor kale, certainly not going to risk it.   They seem to like cabbages best.  At home we have lots of clover in the lawn and they seem to be going for that in preference to anything
else.  

Certainly managed to squish several butterflies under the netting.

[Twoflower]

i caught a pigeon sat on mine last winter eating it. ::)

[Pescador]

Both pigeons and cabbage white love it..... they've got good taste

[grannyjanny]

I will not take any notice of wikipedia then Thanks everyone.
Diggeroo I also read (not on wiki) that clover in the compost bin really heats it up. Do you compost your grass cuttings & have you noticed if it does get hot. One of my neighbours has a lot of clover in her lawn & if it doesn't make any difference I won't bother asking her for it.

[Pescador]

Grass clippings will heat up beautifully, clover or no.

I used to have one separate compost heap of one cubic meter that was filled with only grass cuttings and shredded paper, in a ratio 2:1, every week for 6 weeks in the summer.

By November beautiful compost, about 3/4 bin full. 

[cornykev]

I've sown black kale and it says that the white flies don't bother with it because of the different colour,  :-\ but a sky rat will nibble on anything it pleases.     ;D ;D ;D