Talkback: Birds, wasps and fruit

Gardeners' World Web User

Having spent about 5 hours over the last 2 days up a ladder picking plums next to a wasp's nest I can agree with their overabundance this year. Still, for someone petrified of wasps and scared of heights, being up a ladder surrounded by wasps and still filling 6 bags with plums I don't think I did too badly!

Now let the jam and chutney making commence!

Gardeners' World Web User

I have found so many pigeons trapped in netting down the allotment, its horrid to watch them but you can't seem to get close enough to help. They manage to free themselves as soon as you come over

Gardeners' World Web User

Mrs Blackbird has just stripped my Blueberry, a lesson learned, nets next year, in the mean time its off to the supermarket.

Gardeners' World Web User

I have to agree with you all. Growing fruit isn't the problem, but stopping others eating it really is. Something or someone has taken every one of my peaches!

This is the first year the tree has produced a crop, and I was looking forward to about 8 fruits. The next time I looked I noticed broken green stems on the ground, and NO peaches!

Could it has been the squirrels, as the tree is not in part of the garden that any human would see?

Gardeners' World Web User

Our problem is a pair of blackbirds, which launch dive-bombing raids on anybody trying to pass our apple tree! My only hope is that their actions may keep the squirrels off the cobnuts for long enough to let me harvest them.

Gardeners' World Web User

Over the last two weeks I have been watching goldfinches picking the seeds out of the heads of my lavender flowers, and the pleasure of watching them outweighed the need to cut the flowers heads down once they had finished flowering. Plus, when I walked up the garden the smell of lavender was wonderful, having been released by the birds breaking open the flowers to get to the seeds. It is possible to cut the flowers back at a later date, and still have bushy plants and plenty of flowers next year, and such a shame to deny the goldfinches of a meal that they so enjoy by doing it now. After all, the garden should be enjoyed by all, and that includes the wildlife which we encourage into our gardens by planting flowers and shurbs for their benefit, and which bring so much pleasure to us and to them.

Gardeners' World Web User

Don't seem to have the wasps yet, but have just picked 3lbs of plums from a tree that I rescued when I moved in 2 years ago, they looked gorgeous on the outside and nearly all (except a couple of slightly underripe ones)had little maggots that have chomped large amounts of the inside - any clues as to what they are and how to 'murder' them!! Sooo frustrating!!!

Gardeners' World Web User

aaagh...and today \I find that the wasps have reduced the reaining few Czar plums to little lacy 'bags' with all the fruit eaten out!!!

Gardeners' World Web User

Wonderful crop of peaches but all had patches of rot that spread. Is this due to the rain and anything I can do to prevent it next year?

Gardeners' World Web User

Hi! Pippa, just like to mention, my daughter purchased a little peach tree this year for me for mothers day, had to move it into the greenhouse as the rain water blistered the leaves, had to pick most of them off, it has come good though with beautiful little white fleshed fruits and the flavour really lovely. the blackbird would be welcome to sit and share them with me.

Gardeners' World Web User

Kes they don't seem to like rain water. I water mine with tap water and as it is miniture keep it in the greenhouse.