Grow Your Own Magazine

Something has being eating a few of my strawberries. I've got netting over them. So I was wondering if anyone had any ideas as to what could be getting to them. They look as if they've been bitten into.

Thanks

Muriel

Blackbirds
Woodlice
Slugs

take your pick!

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I suppose slugs/snails are the obvious, if they weren't netted I'd say birds tho as they had most of mine last year - is the netting secure?

If they are well netted I'd say slugs. They eat mine if they get the chance!

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Updated September 29th - Bean drying.

If the netting is secure and it's definately not birds, could well be mice they can be a real problem helping themselves to fruit just as it comes ripe. Hrd to know what to suggest to stop them, cats or Kestrels !

Hi,
I am planting strawberries as well and we had a bird eat our VERY FIRST strawberry, how bad is that???

We think it was a bird, even though there is netting on the strawbs we reckon that the weight of thebird was enough to lower the net so it could get through and eat the strawb have now raised the net up by using canes underneath.

Hope that helps.
Sylvia

? mice??

I'd blame slugs - but then I'd blame them for everything.

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http://haywayne.blogspot.com/ - Tuscany update - 27th September

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definately mice. my strawbs netted, had 2 this year and I actually watched a mouse get one the other day! I chased it n it ran into the peas to finish the destruction there, then came back to the strawbs! I'm now making a stronger cage with small mesh metal wiring that will go INTO the ground aroud them and gonne try planting artemisia nxt yr as they're supposed to hate it. In meantime, trying traps today

just remember ..... mice can get through a 1cm square hole ..... just to make things complicated

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From a link from a poster on this site, I heard that peepermint or eucalyptus oil may put off the mice. If I knew how to post a link (help, anyone pls!) I would send you there. But In essence, it said that to keep mice out of your house, place pads of cotton wool or rags soaked in peppermint or eucalyptus oil around the entry points to keep them out.
I went a few steps further, as the crafty b------s avoid even the traps that I set with the strawbs they're after. It may seem extreme, and a lot o faf, but I have lifted my fruiting runners and tied them to small (orchid type) canes. They are now above the ground so (hopefully out of the reach of slugs, who prefer the brassicas anyway at the moment) But I used natural twine below each lowest fruit, (and then to support the highest fruit), but I soaked all of the canes and All of the ties in peppermint oil. I have since watched the little blighters, and they want to get that strawberry that they had already had a chew at. (the ripest!) But it seems they are not as keen to get there, and keep jumping off the canes before they get near the fruit. I have yet to discover how long the peppermint scent lasts (1 wk so far to my sense of smell), and whether the mice will get used to it. I think that the thin canes are too narrow for the big fat slugs I keep finding (and feeding to the wild birds and mt ferrets) but maybe small slugs coulg get up there. So far they haven't, but I'll keep you posted.

I currently have 5 fruits nearly ready to pick. before this experiment, they would have been gone before they were ready. The ripest fruit that they have already nibbled, and would normally have gone by now, they don't seem to want.. I will let you know whether this works within the next fortnight, but so far, it finally looks as tho we will get some strawbs ourselves. At last!