Allotments 4 All
Produce => Non Edible Plants => Topic started by: KevB on March 26, 2006, 18:01:15
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I spent an hour last week with degradable pots and planting sweet peas 3 to each, today found a mouse in greenhouse which has undone all my good intentions! little bugger!! cursed then laughed! I've been out and bought some young sweet pea seedlings hope he doesn't fancy these!!
any advice???
Kevb
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Hi Kev,
The slugs will have what the mice don`t. ;D
One year I tried covering the seeds in vaseline (as I had no parafin)
they came through but the slugs ate them,. Igot some flowers eventually but it was a poor show. This year I have seedlings in my fruit cage as its the most predator free environment I have and I`ve filled a trench with leaf mould and horse muck for them to go into later.
I`m hoping for a much better sho.
Best of luck, Col
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I would be very tempted to place a few trap around the place......
Jerry
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i've been rearing my sweet pea babies indoors, and thought i'd try one out in the mini-greenhouse tonight to see how tough it was, i've not seen any signs of slugs yet, but i'm not taking the chance, in it comes again ;D
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just sowed a batch myself kev and stuck them in the airing cuboard to germanate and be free from the little furry animals,but have also bought two strips of seedlings from the local nursery as well just in case,,,.you never know
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on a slightly different theme (sory to hijack) but Mrs KP - you said you were gonna put yours out? are sweet peas hardy or not? I have been growing some in the greenhouse over winter, they are about 6 inches tall now, but not sure when to plant them out?
Would put some poison down for the mices if it was me (well manuel anyway, I don't do mice!)
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well on both packs (i know i know, only two different kinds - i am a failure ::)) it says hardy annuals, but i don't trust my weather and have had them sitting in an unheated bedroom for a couple of weeks now so thought i'd harden them off a bit, but without my slug/meece protection in place, i didn't want to chance it.
8)
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Hi all,
Sweet peas are fine in frost and with snow on.
As I`ve had an ongoing rodent problem I put mine in the fruit cage which doesn`t have its roof on yet so they are less protected from weather and more out of the way of rodents. I did start them off with a sheet of glass above and below the seed trays until they had germinated.
Thats months ago, I can`t remember when. They are still tiny but at least they didn`t get eaten.
(I`m using poison for mice and rats)
Col
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Agree, they are pretty hardy, mine have been in the cold frame for a few weeks and will be planted out soon.
Jerry
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Cool. I haven't got my packet anymore, these are seed I saved from last years, cannot find the packet and couldn't remember what I had done.
Just put a new trellis panel up to hide our compost bin area etc.. in the garden so wanted something to get to work on covering it.
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Mine have been in our slightly heated conservatory since they germinated and as it has been milder over the past few days I've been leaving them in the garden....in fact I forgot to get them in last night and just looked and they are fine - a bit windswept but I'm hoping that might encourage them to grow less leggy!
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Blooming mice! I've sown 46 pots of sweet peas. Looks like I've wasted my time. How does one set a trap please. Is it the same like a mouse trap with a piece of cheese as bait.
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apple works better & someone told me flour? Make sure it's well attached, the sneaky little b*****s are clever at getting the food away without springing it.
I realised last week that I'd had my bird feeding station through the winter above where I want to plant peas. Great, the field mice have been eating the bird seeds so will be ready & waiting for my veg. Doh!
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Sarah Raven suggets using parafin. Your seedling should be fine outside now. Some of mine veen survived it throught the snow we had! :o Dan :-)
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Put a bit of Mars bar on the trap. Works every time, they love it and have to lick/chew
BANG problem solved. Just going up to greenhouse to check mine!!!!
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LORNA !!!!!!!!!!
I always had you down as a friendly lady :o
Mind you i've got what is suspiciously like meece poo in one of my kitchen cabinets ... it's either than or the mdf falling apart so i will try the mars bar trick . I couldn't bare to look if there was a deed one though. i'll have to hand that chore to the OH.
;D
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Mrs KP. My eldest daughter rents a virtually new detached house and has been having trouble with mice.. Son-i-l has searched to see where they are coming in. She got home the other evening and there was a little box with a note. MOUSE IN HERE DO NOT TOUCH her youngest daughter had caught a baby mouse and was feeding it.The middle daughter said "Oh I think it has died.. Oh no it has just opened it's little eyes and looked at me!!!!
I ASK YOU!!!!
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Hi Lorna
Would you like to ask your grandchildren "Does the darling little mousey eat sweet peas"? cos if it wants to grow up to be BIG n Strong it had better leave them alone!!!!!! as there's a nasty man with a gun looking for him!!!
Signed
BBK aka BIG BAD KEV ;) ;) ;)
p.s. if i could only keep both eyes open i'd have the little darling!!!
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KevB . ;D ;D Believe it or not the eldest of the three girls thinks I am a really a terrible Nan cos I kill slugs and snails!!
It took me a week to catch the sweet pea seed thief last year. I wasn't setting the trap fine enough but I did get the little B????? a'hem blighter :)
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wait until they start growing things that get nibbled and i'm sure they'll change their opinions Lorna.
;D
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When both of our cats went to the big cat basket in the sky, the meeces moved in - I also noticed poo in the kitchen cupboards. Being a townie, I don't have much to do with actual wildlife, so I don't want to kill the 'poor little thing' so OH spent £££ on a humane trap, baited with Cadbury's Dairy Milk. There he was in the morning, trapped in the cage, all bright eyes and twitchy nose (the mouse, not the OH) He was then chauffered to Syon Park for his release.....came back home feeling very pleased with self........but then.........more POO - the ungrateful little wotsit had told his mates about this great hotel and a whole colony had moved in - so no more kind and cuddly - went straight to the neck breakers and it took about 6 months to get all of them. and now your're telling me that they like seeds and seedlings :o :o - maybe I need to rethink the siting of the mini greenhouse, which is currently just outside the back door.
I might set a few traps tonight - just in case....... ;) BTW we were told that mice find chocolate irresistible - I can relate to that ;D
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Hi SMP
Really enjoyed your tale! its the seeds rather than seedlings they go for! by the way what does your name stand for SMP1704 ???
??? ??? ???
Cheer Kevb
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Hi Kev
Sharon Marie Probets 17th April
So SMP1704 is my initials and birthday. It's the same sign on that I use for ebay and wasn't feeling very imaginative when I signed on with A4a - thinking about changing it for something more friendly - like Sharon :D
thanks for your advice about the seeds/seedlings - I'll leave the plastic greenhouse where it is.
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We bait our traps with peanut butter, they love it! Use the humane types, and hubby takes them off to work with him and releases into a layby in the country, must be a sight to see bloke in suit releasing mouse! ;D ;D
I swear I went past that same layby the other day and there was a mouse holding a sign saying Dp's house, and a suitcase, must have gotten a lift cos they are baaaaaaack! More peanut butter at the ready! ;D ;D
Last year they also removed all my pea's from their guttering, so not a pea emerged in it, but my Oleader had a marvellous clump of peas growing at it's base! :D The rotters!!