[Brassica Blaz]

 hi all ,first time for peas this season,just wondered if i need to protect early on from the piggies?

[Swing Swang]

Saw this pop up and was hoping for a recipe! Squab and peas are a great combination.

[Brassica Blaz]

Saw this pop up and was hoping for a recipe! Squab and peas are a great combination.

its just that there is wild boar roamin round these parts. :

[DD.]

I have to keep mine covered until they are about 6" high and then again once the pods start to form.

[Brassica Blaz]

I have to keep mine covered until they are about 6" high and then again once the pods start to form.

thanks DD

[sunshineband]

Even the ones I have in pots in the garden awaiting transplanting are netted against becoming  wood pigeons' breakfast

-- or lunch

---or dinner come to that 

[Salmo]

Pigeons favorite food is pea shoots, especially as they just come through the surface. As DD says they seem to leave them alone once they reach 6 inches high and then return to peck off the pods.

I keep mine under a net intil they are 6 inches high. When I take it off I put the pea sticks in place.

When they start to flower I cover with enviromesh to prevent pea moth and leave this in place to keep pigeons off.

May sound like a lot of bother but the taste of fresh garden peas is out of this world.

[JayG]

Agree about the need for protection until the shoots grow out of reach of the fat dopey woodies (and others), but I only have room for sugarsnaps which reach 7' and the lowest pods they produce are also out of their reach so no further netting required fortunately. 

[bigben]

Last year I grew peas and sugar snaps with wooden stakes and washing line type supports at 3 different heights. Unfortunately the pigeons took to sitting on the washing lines and eating at whatever height they fancied! If I grow peas again I will need to resort to netting.

[mumofstig]

It was the sparrers that sat on the twine and ate the new growth each day, I resorted to enviromesh draped over the tops just to get a few pods - very dissapointing.
This year I have netting on the old polytunnel frame to cover the whole bed - not pretty but I hope it will be effective 

The peas on the allotment were not touched by pigeons once they had germinated 

[Schubunny]

Last year I started them off at home until they were big enough to go out and covered them with a fleece tunnel until big enough to need supporting. Got a big harvest from one short row. 

This year so far I've done the same, they are getting to the stage where they need to go out soon.

[azubah]

The pigeons ate all the flowers off mine until I netted them.

[sunshineband]

The pigeons ate all the flowers off mine until I netted them.

Sparrows like the odd pea flower or two as well, but not so fond of the pink or purple ones 

[DD.]

I grow my "special" peas at home.

I find it odd that me and the 5 cats don't have any problems there.

[JayG]

Sometimes think sparrows learn their little tricks in family groups - up to now they've shown no interest in pea flowers, but runner bean flowers are another matter!