birds stealing my seeds!?

[methos83]

So I'm having this problem. I have several containers out on my porch with seeds and sprouts started. Everything from spinach, peas, peppers, lettuce, and several herbs going. Something keeps getting into the containers, particularly the spinach and lettuce and digging up the soil. I think whatever it is is raiding for seeds. I came home from work yesterday and one of my bigger pepper plants, about 3 inches tall, was completely torn out of the container and laying on the porch!!

Any ideas what it could be? I think it's birds. I keep finding tufts of dried grass left behind. If so, any ideas on how to make them stop? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Its stressful worrying about my plants constantly!

[applestar]

It could be birds -- some sprouting seedlings look like worms or something. Could also be squirrels -- they like to dig in container soil, looking for something they buried last year, or cats.... Best preventative is to cover the containers with hardware cloth or chicken wire until the seedlings are up.

I had a handy large heavy plastic bread delivery tray (mesh bottom) so I used that to cover a half-barrel container earlier in spring when I saw a squirrel digging it up. I particularly wanted to protect it because I'd planted some fresh chestnuts last fall to see if they would grow. (In fact, I found a sprouting one a few days ago) Milk crates would work too.

If large number and area, you might use bird netting. If you are sure it's birds, I use pie pans and aluminum pans with huge eyes drown with permanent marker to scare birds from berry patches. Maybe that would work.

[AnnaIkona]

I had a bird problem last year, so I just covered the soil with plastic chicken wire stuff. And it worked.

[j3707]

That's what I'll do when I plant my pole bean seeds again Annalkona.

Methos, a bird ate or destroyed all my peas and beans so far this year. It's all a learning experience.... let us know if you figure out who the culprit is.

[Lindsaylew82]

I've watched crows and Ravens go right down the rows picking out corn in years passed.... Squirrels really like to dig up stuff in pots in our front porch. I don't know what they think is in there, but it isn't nuts, or bulbs, which they really like to dig out of our beds.

[imafan26]

I have that problem all the time. The doves and cardinals will patrol my nursery bench and eat the seeds out of the pots. They are especially fond of pepper seeds. I usually coverr my seed tray with another tray. Preferably one with small holes until they sprout. Then I can take them up. the birds don't bother the seedlings but the snails and slugs will eat the tops of the seedlings if the snails climb up on the bench.

[ButterflyLady29]

The ones digging in my pots turned out to be squirrels. I have to cover everything with hardware cloth an it has to cover the whole pot. Found out strips don't work when a squirrel dug up the peas in one pot, reaching under the hardware cloth. Deer and rabbit repellent spray works as long as it doesn't get washed off by rain. I used 3 bottles last year before my plants got big enough to survive the destruction.

Squirrels, chipmunks, birds, the only way to know for sure is to catch it in the act. Game cam or surveillance camera, or pure dumb luck when you open the door and there it is.

[imafan26]

I did catch the birds stealing my peppers. I first thought that there was something wrong with the seeds when I saw the doves pecking each seed out. Covering the starts works. At the garden the feral hens would eat the seedlings so we had cages made of wire to cover the trays.