Topic: Stopping Badgers eating Sweetcorn

[George the Pigman]

Today I went to the lotty to find my sweetcorn completely devastated by badgers - as have other allotment holders recently. We had no sign of badgers until a couple of years ago. Our site is in suburban Birmingham near a railway line and a small river.
Has anyone actually found an effective of stopping them getting at the sweetcorn? On the web the only methods that seem effective involve the sort fencing needed to stop foxes getting at chickens or electric fences (which aren't an option on our site!)

[gray1720]

Unfortunately they are very hard to keep out - they'll tunnel under nearly anything (round our way there are some in a 1930s rubbish dump, happily tunnelling through ash and broken glass), and another local allotment is bounded by a six-feet high fence with the railway line... but the beggars will climb that! A friend runs the local CCTV and apparently the badgers shin up one side and, as they aren't very good at climbing down, just roll over the top and plop down like drop bears.

[Beersmith]

Has anyone actually found an effective of stopping them getting at the sweetcorn?

In a word - no.

That said, we do not actually have any that are resident on our site.  They seem to forage more widely as day length shortens and they can then arrive from nearby wooded areas and move safely under cover of darkness. They do not seem to visit much in the summer months.  So if you can get your sweet corn grown and harvested reasonably early, you may be less likely to encounter problems.

In October and November I have often had badger visits digging up main crop carrots.  But by then my sweet corn are eaten or picked and frozen. I tolerate some losses as I do the problem of moles that criss cross my plots. I feel I have to work alongside nature rather than against it.

[ancellsfarmer]

Its a growing problem with a burgeoning population of brocks. They are a protected species, so no lawful methods of control without licence. Apart from crop damage ,they also are a carrier/transmitter of bovine tuberculosis, which is contagious to some other species including humans, deer, goats, pigs, cats, dogs . They also predate hedghogs and account for the dwindling numbers of that population.Like urban foxes, they are drawn to an easier life within our communities, especially as some folk actively encourage them with free meals.

[Deb P]

I grow mine within a 2ft high barrier made from double walked plastic sheet from an old conservatory roof on top of a raised bed, which gives protection from the winds and late frosts after planting out. I’ve had a bit of damage from birds if I leave the ripe ones on a bit late but I’m not sure it would deter badgers but might be worth a go?!

[Deb P]

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