On going to my lotty on this last very wet Saturday I found that several of the broad beans shoots I had sowed in November were lying on the surface. The root system and top shoots were still atached. I put what I could back in the soil.
Any clue as to the culprit?
One year we planted 50 broad beans in 3 inch pots and left them in the greenhouse on the lottie.I began to think something was wrond when not one germinated so I dug in the soil to see if they had rotted,I found no seeds, pop after pot I looked at had no trace of a seed. I thought I was losing the plot. Iused the same soil and re planted another 50 but I took them home. They all grew. After they had shot up we took them back to the lottie and left them on the bench,we also moved some large boxes off the ground and under them ,all lined up like soldiers were the missing seeds.We re planted them in new pots and took them home and they grew.
The answer, it was mice, they had carefully dug them up then hid them under the boxes for later. I suspect that might be the reason.
We had pigeon who kept pulling up our onion seedlengs till we caught it one day.
XX Jeannine
That's made me think - my onion sets and garlic on the plot have sprouted and are growing well... but I haven't netted them. It didn't occur to me that pigeons would like onions!
At this time of year there is little food around for the birds.
Anything sticking its head out of the ground is considered food, be it worms or beans.
Those birds with longer beaks, blackbirds & crows, can dig down and pull the seed up.
Mice are not always the culprits. Food is short for many animals in the winter.
Sky rats >:( hate, hate , hate , hate pigeons !!! >:(
.... they decimated my Cavolo Nero too >:( .... quite stripped to the midrib!!! >:(