Lettuce Damage

8doubles · « **Reply #15 on:** June 12, 2010, 07:39 »

The sparrows here do like beetroot leaf and spinach beet but prefer lettuce. I saw a hen sparrow going up and down the lines of plants having a peck here and there , her own `eat all you can ' salad bar.

Salmo · « **Reply #16 on:** June 12, 2010, 08:15 »

I think it depends on the aspect of your plot.

I cannot grow lettuce or beetroot at home without netting from sparrows. On my allotment I never need to cover either although pigeons devour every uncovered brassica.

Livinhope · « **Reply #17 on:** June 12, 2010, 10:45 »

We had a new allotmenteer a few months back (professional gardener, so he tells everyone) had a fine row of peas about an inch high, didn't protect them. Open season for sparrows - they were seen!!! :blink:

Paul Plots · « **Reply #18 on:** June 13, 2010, 01:10 »

Quote from: 8doubles on June 12, 2010, 07:39

The sparrows here do like beetroot leaf and spinach beet but prefer lettuce. I saw a hen sparrow going up and down the lines of plants having a peck here and there , her own `eat all you can ' salad bar.

Sparrows are rarer than parsnips on my plot - and that's saying something

Thanks for the info though... I'll keep any eye out for damage to beetroot and know to net if it looks like the sparrows have flown in

mark0912 · « **Reply #19 on:** June 13, 2010, 20:25 »

Netted the lettuces which seems to have helped...worried its too late tho and they might be goners

then since i've done that the little s*ds have taken out my swede seedlings and started on the spinach!

Paul Plots · « **Reply #20 on:** June 14, 2010, 00:45 »

It sounds as if you have a healthy population of house sparrows in Manchester... they are few and far between down here. I guess it might be due to all the Upvc soffits and cladding blocking up their nesting sites - that and agricultural sprays reducing the supply of wild plant seeds.

If I'm right they tend to switch their interests in food as the year goes along - choosing to nibble at young plants only lasts a while, I think.

The other day they emptied 4 quarter seed trays of lettuce seed - little darlings

mark0912 · « **Reply #21 on:** July 17, 2010, 00:08 »

lettuces all grew back in the end. i'd planted replacements so ended up with more than I could eat and now they have gone bitter!

WirralWally · « **Reply #22 on:** July 17, 2010, 00:51 »

Mark, this is your second lettuce thread I've commented in.

I'll try to be helpful.

Try growing your lettuce out of the full sun and in a sheltered position.
Weather conditions recently have been too good (most unkind) for lettuces.
They bolt and, therefore taste bitter.
The other big problem has been that the dreaded pigeon obviously likes the weather and your lettuces.

Livinhope · « **Reply #23 on:** July 17, 2010, 10:54 »

Now how do you account for this? My lettuce, Webbs wonderful, a butterhead variety and salad leaves have all been grown in full sun, no cover and they are sweet and tender, apart from the outer leaves, and it's one of the things the pigeons leave alone. Oh and the allotment is fairly exposed.

Paul Plots · « **Reply #24 on:** July 17, 2010, 15:58 »

Quote from: Livinhope on July 17, 2010, 10:54

Now how do you account for this? My lettuce, Webbs wonderful, a butterhead variety and salad leaves have all been grown in full sun, no cover and they are sweet and tender, apart from the outer leaves, and it's one of the things the pigeons leave alone. Oh and the allotment is fairly exposed.

My first lot of lettuce were grown in full sun (did we have any in April & May?) under a mini-polytunnel.

Now I am planting along side taller crops to give them some shade (and wind protection..) as proper summer is sure to return soon.

kermit · « **Reply #25 on:** July 17, 2010, 16:31 »

Our biggest pest is magpie - not sure if they are eating the greenery, picking insects off and causing collateral damage, or just having a bit of fun. Beans, salar, calabrese, you name it

JRRD · « **Reply #26 on:** July 18, 2010, 10:21 »

Quote from: Learner on July 17, 2010, 15:58

[
My first lot of lettuce were grown in full sun (did we have any in April & May?) under a mini-polytunnel.

I've ben wondering about lettuce and growing under cover recently ..... but not really all that sure about it so....

Lettuce for me always gets thrown in the ground mid may... around the time I'm starting to panic that I still haven't put enough stuff in the ground yet... but I really need to get into gear and produce it earlier so I don't have to still be buying lettuces for so long

So how early, do you all, plant out lettuce under cover and how late would you consider that you don't really need to sow under cover anymore

Thanks

Paul Plots · « **Reply #27 on:** July 20, 2010, 01:10 »

Quote from: JRRD on July 18, 2010, 10:21

Quote from: Learner on July 17, 2010, 15:58
[
My first lot of lettuce were grown in full sun (did we have any in April & May?) under a mini-polytunnel.

I've ben wondering about lettuce and growing under cover recently ..... but not really all that sure about it so....

Lettuce for me always gets thrown in the ground mid may... around the time I'm starting to panic that I still haven't put enough stuff in the ground yet... but I really need to get into gear and produce it earlier so I don't have to still be buying lettuces for so long

So how early, do you all, plant out lettuce under cover and how late would you consider that you don't really need to sow under cover anymore

Thanks

This year I sowed my first lot of lettuce in modules on March 21st (mixed varieties)
Planted out first lot on 27th April (late this year as it was cold and I was short of time)

Livinhope · « **Reply #28 on:** July 20, 2010, 13:09 »

Just caught up with this. If it's any help, we have grown lettuce in the open (no cover at all) under enviromesh and cloches the only difference was that the lettuce under cloches was a bit more tender. It does make the larger, outer leaves more useable.

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