Who ate my Beetroot?

[terrier]

I've just sown the third lot of Beetroot this year, the first two lots completely eaten to nothing by.. well I thought slugs 'cos just about everything else has, but I've just read that Collared Doves (posh Pigeons) love young beetroot leaves. Last years Beetroot was munched a bit in the early stages but nothing like this year so this lot is going to be protected by wire mesh . What do you grapes think, birds or slugs?

[seasprout]

Sorry it was me.

[terrier]

Sorry it was me.

I now have this ridiculous vision of you crawling through my veg patch nibblin' me baby bettroot leaves

[seasprout]

Actually i minced in my red 9inch heels.!

Seriously though, I dint think anything except Flea Beetles munched Beetroots.

[Pompeylottie]

rats or mice have eaten ours the last two years, you can clearly see the teeth marks, they dont usually take the early beetroot but by about late August/September they seem to fancy it!

[terrier]

In my case it's the early sown that gets eaten off, if it survives, then whatever it is leaves it alone later on.

[Bazza]

I sowed some beets this year too and they were chewed away to nothing. Sowed some more with slug pellets all around them and covered them with netting. Growing great until I removed the netting then same again, chewed down to little stalks.

[Two_Sheds]

Sparrows will eat early beetroot and pea leaves ...

[baggyman]

Last year our allotment had our beetroots nicked.......by squirrels. They bit off the leaves and scurried on to the the nearest shed roof to eat them.

[thatshallot]

My beetroot are in the greenhouse and I've lost loads. I blame the slugs. How they get in I don't know, but they have a feast almost every night. I'm trying broken egg shells to see if that helps keep them off.

[Snadger]

Another Mollusc, huge hardbacked snails are prevalent on our site! They munch EVERTHING!

[Lemon]

Sounds like you got chickens there Terrier! Mine are under netting as the cheeky chookies will eat them! They are already nibbling what they can peck at through the side of the netted veg beds! Swede leaves, kohl rabi leaves and beetroot too!

Here you can see the razored edge to the leaves - that's all they can peck! Imagine if they could get in! TOTAL CARNAGE!

[Dynamo]

My beetroot are in the greenhouse and I've lost loads. I blame the slugs. How they get in I don't know, but they have a feast almost every night. I'm trying broken egg shells to see if that helps keep them off.

I take it that your trying to be green and not use slug pellets because they harm the environment. Since your beets are in the greenhouse though, I'd have thought that it would be okay to use the non PC type of pellets in there because the birds and the hedgehogs won't be in there. Have you tried the non PC type of SP's?

[terrier]

Sounds like you got chickens there Terrier! Mine are under netting as the cheeky chookies will eat them! They are already nibbling what they can peck at through the side of the netted veg beds! Swede leaves, kohl rabi leaves and beetroot too!

Here you can see the razored edge to the leaves - that's all they can peck! Imagine if they could get in! TOTAL CARNAGE!

Yes we have got chooks, but I don't let them anywhere near the growing veg.