As a gardener, one needs to be on the look out for pests and disease. The photo below shows the result of some grey crows attacking our pears. About ten pears were damaged, some like this, others with just a peck taken out of them.
Pear damage
It’s meant we have had to harvest and store the fruit rather than risk losing more of the crop. They are pretty delicious so I can’t actual blame the crows for wanting to try them.
Pear
Last year, when we had a a very small crop of plums (about 6), the magpies stole them before they were even ripe. Someone (I can’t remember who but they were a wise person) once said to me, you should always grow twice what you need, one half for yourself and the other half for all the little creatures that may wish to share your bounty, be they slugs, snails, rabbits, caterpillars or birds.
There is a quote in one of the Little House books that goes something like ‘one for the blackbird, one for the crow, one for the gopher, and one to grow’….In the UK, blackbirds, pigeons and squirrels are my main thieves, but the same applies!
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And bloody slugs of course!!!
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Yes, don’t forget the slugs:)
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Hard to believe! I like your wise person quote. It has a similar feel to Maori’s and Aboriginies ways of living. xx
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Thanks Miranda.
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Now that is good advice… I do that with the rabbits-lol. I even grew them some clover but they do leave my veggies alone when the clover grows in my grass!…Your pears look yummy. I put two dwarf pear trees in this spring since my old one is not looking too good. They trimmed it funny this last fall…don’t know what they were thinking.
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Wise advice!
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