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Post by kyredneck on Mar 31, 2015 8:12:50 GMT -5
Wow, will mice eat onion bulbs through the winter? For the first time ever I used straw (instead of leaves) to mulch the fall planted onions and for the first time ever 'something' (voles maybe?) took up residence under the straw through the winter and tunneled all through the rows of bulbs evidently feasting on them. Looks like I have about 20% left alive.
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Post by Al on Mar 31, 2015 16:31:04 GMT -5
Mice eating onions is the plague. The worst problem I had was mice biting through newly planted brassicas, & of course there's always the possibility the little critters will steal peas & beans.
Generally I reckon alliums are not attractive to furry critters, I think I read somewhere that some allium can actually repel mice, it was either Allium moly or Allium roseum. A cordon around a greenhouse was recommended.
It has to be a very hard winter before rabbits will eat my leeks, always thought the sulphuric compounds in alliums evolved as a defense against being eaten. Only humans seem to really relish them.
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Post by kyredneck on Mar 31, 2015 18:15:56 GMT -5
.... It has to be a very hard winter ..... Not to cut you short but I believe you hit the nail zactly on the head; we had deep snow with frigid temps throughout February.
Wow, I never anticipated this, at all.
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Post by flowerweaver on Mar 31, 2015 19:06:19 GMT -5
Of course we've had no snow, and--there being no shortage of mice here--they have always left my onions alone. I have no idea what kind of multiplier onion I have that a local gave me last fall, but it's starting to bloom today and I see anthers and pollen!
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Post by Walk on Apr 1, 2015 16:23:32 GMT -5
Mice eating onions is the plague. The worst problem I had was mice biting through newly planted brassicas, & of course there's always the possibility the little critters will steal peas & beans. Generally I reckon alliums are not attractive to furry critters, I think I read somewhere that some allium can actually repel mice, it was either Allium moly or Allium roseum. A cordon around a greenhouse was recommended. It has to be a very hard winter before rabbits will eat my leeks, always thought the sulphuric compounds in alliums evolved as a defense against being eaten. Only humans seem to really relish them. First year ever that the rabbits ate whatever greenery they could find on the Walking Onions. The snow kept melting off the patch so they were easy pickings, but still I didn't think rabbits would like onions. Our cat killed a rabbit that was half her weight (she's 7# and the bunny was 3.5#). She managed to get it through the 3 cat doors into the main part of our house and ran under the bed with it. After taking it away and putting it outside for the night, locking her in, it froze solid. She spent the next 3 days eating her "hopsicle", consuming all but part of the skull and one rear foot. I guess she likes onion-fed bunny. |
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Post by robertb on Apr 2, 2015 12:29:05 GMT -5
Pigeons had a good go at my walking onions, which hasn't happened to me before. They had the potato onions next to them as well, and I'm not sure how many have survived. I know some have, while the walkng onions are coming back as strong as ever. They left the other alliums alone.
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