General information and discussion about cultivating onions, garlic, shallots and leeks.
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#1 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 109
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I have been seeing the standard "drill holes" in my garlic beds. Something has dug straight into the straw and into the ground. I don't see any loose cloves laying around. I've always known squirrels dig in and around my garlic, sometimes removing a clove or two.
There seem to be more holes this year. When I opened the door this morning, I flushed two blue jays from one of my beds. I've never seen them in my garlic before. One year, I had an issue of dying and missing young onions. I couldn't figure out what was going on until one day I noticed a robin pulling them all up and flinging them. Have you ever seen blue jays digging in your beds? Especially where you may have planted garlic or some kind of root?
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Arne Zone 6A, Northern NJ |
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#2 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Vancouver Island
Posts: 5,931
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I would guess it’s not the garlic they are after but some sort of grub or insect
KarenO |
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#3 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Vancouver Island Canada BC
Posts: 1,253
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Yes I have! I grow my garlic in pots. Why the jays pulled the tags from the edge of the pots I don't know but they did! I see them fly into the yard and kak up a mouthful of birdseed gleaned from the neighbour's feeder to bury in the lawn, or acorns from neighbourhood oaks. Last year I had onion sets pulled out of pots by the many sparrows who are always scratching and looking for whatever in the yard. I wondered what was going on. ![]() |
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#4 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 109
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I figured, too, they were after straw for nesting. But they didn't have to make holes for that. Dang birds!
Karen - yeah, maybe they're going for insects or worms just below mulch level? After one flew off the bed, it landed on my fence and started going at a zip tie I have on there. I guess it may be a mixture of foraging and curiosity.
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Arne Zone 6A, Northern NJ |
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#5 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 3,194
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I have a robin who studies my gardening closely. This year I put down leaves and compost. He digs little holes in both. He's looking for worms or other insects. He may pull up a plant or two by accident, but he's looking for meat. I feed him chopped raisins every day and he loves those to supplement his diet.
Nan |
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#6 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Newfoundland, Canada
Posts: 6,794
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I had the same problem with ravens here, when I used leaves to mulch the garlic. They didn't damage the plants at all though, but they were tearing up the mulch to go after insects underneath. This year I pre-empted their frolics by removing the leaves myself.
![]() I've seen the problem before with young transplants, that the birds would pick them out and fling em as they're looking for bugs or worms. I find it safer to cover the beds until transplants have rooted in, before letting them go about their buggy business. |
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