How to Keep Pigeons from Damaging Your Brassicas, Peas, and Beans

You plant your cabbages, peas, or broad beans with pride, only to come out the next morning and find them shredded like lettuce in a blender. The culprits? Pigeons. These winged garden menaces may look innocent enough, but they can decimate young veg in a matter of hours. Here’s how we keep pigeons from damaging our brassicas, peas, and beans without resorting to scarecrows that don’t scare anything.

Netting: Your First and Best Line of Defence

When it comes to pigeons, prevention is everything. We never plant out brassicas, peas, or beans without a plan to protect them, and netting is hands-down the most effective solution.

Use fine, strong mesh supported by hoops, canes, or frames to create a sturdy structure. Make sure the net is pulled taut, pigeons are surprisingly clever at finding saggy bits to peck through.Top tip: Peg the netting down at the base. Gaps are just open invitations.

Avoid Loose Covers and Flimsy Frames

We’ve learned the hard way that half-hearted protection won’t cut it. Draping netting loosely over plants might slow them down, but a determined pigeon will still get through.

We use purpose-built cloches, DIY bamboo tunnels, or even old polytunnel frames re-covered with mesh. The key is tension and height, pigeons will land on low netting and crush plants underneath.

Make It Hard to Land

Pigeons need a clear landing zone, so make your beds awkward. Canes, string, or crisscrossed lines of garden twine spaced 15-30 cm apart will often be enough to confuse and discourage them.

This works especially well in early spring before plants get too big. As the plants fill out, swap to taller netted frames for full protection.

Use Shiny, Flashy, Flappy Things

It might seem old-school, but deterrents like shiny tape, wind chimes, or spinning reflectors do work, at least for a while. Hang up old CDs, strips of foil, or shiny bird-scarer tape that flutters in the breeze.

Change their location every few days to keep pigeons guessing. They get used to static scare tactics very quickly.

Grow Decoys or Sacrificial Crops

Sometimes we sacrifice a few leafy lettuces or un-netted kale plants nearby to distract the pigeons. We plant these away from our main crops, hoping they’ll take the bait.

It’s not a perfect method, but it can buy time while young brassicas establish or give peas and beans the chance to toughen up.

Plant Densely, Then Thin Later

Sow peas and beans thickly in rows or clusters, knowing a few might be nibbled. Once the plants are up and stronger, thin to the healthiest ones. This approach helps buffer the damage if pigeons sneak in early on.

Pigeons are persistent, but so are we. With the right combination of barriers, deterrents, and timing, you can outsmart them and keep our brassicas, peas, and beans thriving. These crops are too valuable to hand over to the birds, so let’s build a fortress, not a buffet.