[Yorkshire Lass]

So last weekend I planted 16 pea plants (Hurst Green Shaft to be exact), all plants grown indoors and hardened off.  So this evening I pop along to the plot to see if everything is ok.  Here I discover that 12 of the 16 plants I have planted have been nibbled...lots, buy some sort of pest.  But what kind of pest... I suspect a mouse or even larger a rabbit.  All I know is my little plants have had all or most of there leaves nibbled off.  So I have placed cloches on the 4 surviving plants, finger crossed they will be ok.  However can anyone explain what pest I need to protect my peas from.

[DD.]

Could be rabbits, could be pigeons, could be a whole heap of things.

I have to protect my peas from sowing to cropping.

At the risk of repeating myself:

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=50902.0

16 peas, by the way won't give you a very large crop. You'll see a recommended spacing in the link and you need 12 plants per foot of row.

[andy dewar]

i think pesky pigeons are  blame i had same problem but as soon as i netted them they have been finealso as DD says you wont get much from 16 plants you need 4 times at least 

[boddy]

you are lucky they ad just nibbled, mine were all eaten down to the bottom of their stem, and my cabbage seedling have had the same fate - pretty sure I have resident rabbit. Going to have a day on the allotment with my Jack Russell to scare it off and then secure it to stop it getting back in. Won't get that done until I get back from holiday though - going today. I planted another lot of peas yesterday up a wigwam of poles and covered with net secured at the bottom with tent pegs so I'll find out if they have survived or not when I get back too!.

[DD.]

i think pesky pigeons are  blame i had same problem but as soon as i netted them they have been finealso as DD says you wont get much from 16 plants you need 4 times at least 

Only 4 times? 

[Yorkshire Lass]

OK, so now I understand, I thought it was mice  but I am guessing it will be pigeons!!! We have loads of them!!!
Also message understood about 16 plants  not being enough  now in the process of germinating some more!!! Thanks for the advice everyone 

[pigguns]

My garden ones have slug trails and have been munched over  I never knew they were a slug dinner before, and the plots ones (under fleece) looked awful with frilly leaves as well; some searching on this sites pages shows it's pea weevil   

[Yorkshire Lass]

I am now on my 3rd set of pea's any suggestions to keep them from being nibbled to the ground. 

[Yorkie]

What have you covered them with so far?