Reply To: What has destroyed my parsnip patch?

[Leif]

Thanks all, very interesting posts. I found where it got in. At one end the net was a bit loose, and it had walked through the garlic bed, digging holes 4″ wide by 2″ deep, then on reaching the parsnips, it dug a much larger hole, 8″ wide, 3″ deep, it seemed to stop at the heavy clay soil layer. Then it went walkies again around the bed. Fortunately there is time to sow more parsnips, and maybe 2/3 survived.

After reading the above posts, I suspect a rat too. I’ve never seen any, but the neighbours have. And presumably they are commonplace in gardens. I guess a large bird such as a magpie is a possibility too. I’ve seen badgers, and I’m sure a badger would have done far more damage, they are quite big, and would have had difficulty walking between the garlic plants. I’ve seen blackbird damage, and they tend to go round the edges, and make smaller holes since they dig with their beaks.