Please be careful re: "cleaning". And please check out these resources to develop a peacock-proof food safety plan:
https://kidsgardening.org/resources/gardening-basics-safe-harvesting/
https://cns.ucdavis.edu/sites/g/files/dgvnsk416/files/inline-files/4.foodsafetytipsforschoolgardensusda.pdf
There are a few key steps/issues to keep in mind:
~ do a pre-harvest inspection of the site and physically FLAG areas with bird poop so that those products are NOT harvested;
~ anything contaminated with poop should NOT be washed and eaten, especially by vulnerable populations and especially if it is something usually eaten raw (for example, how thoroughly can we really scrub a piece of lettuce, if our hands are supposed to take two cycles of the Birthday song to get clean?); and
~ cooking can provide the "kill step" needed to mitigate salmonella risk (ie, eggs are not usually eaten raw) but again, this is NOT a risk you want to take with school garden produce.
In this case, peacocks are kind of like deer and other wildlife: beautiful from a distance, but NOT something I want in a garden(s). If nothing else, maybe playing "Kumbaya" in the garden will keep them away, lol. Good luck! :-)
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Carole Palmer
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-04-2023 08:43:33 PM
From: Pamela Bond
Subject: Peacocks in the garden!
Ok, I was really hoping for some kumbaya messages but I was thinking this might be a big problem. I will try to gather a group to make some cages before they swoop in and munch up the sprouts that will be coming up soon.
Any tips on cleaning veggies in case of bacterial contamination? We used to just do a final rinse with some vinegar in the water but that was when the gardens were elsewhere and the peacocks didn't bother them.
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Pamela Bond
Los Gatos
16507933844
Original Message:
Sent: 04-03-2023 12:13:46 PM
From: Julia Birtolo
Subject: Peacocks in the garden!
We have had peafowl on our school farm for over 20 years. We keep the hens penned and the peacock usually roams free all summer. Yes, they will eat all the yummy tender greens - lettuce, peas, broccoli and cabbage plants, etc especially when small. If our peacock finds the greens, we pen him for the season. As you probably know, peafowl are excellent fliers, so covering the beds with tender greens is your best bet (as opposed to portable electric fencing often used to keep free ranging chickens out of the garden). One fairly cost effective idea is to make hoops over the beds from PVC pipe (1" diameter) and lay chicken wire over that. Good luck!
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Julia Birtolo
Sweetser
Saco ME
207-294-4740
Original Message:
Sent: 04-02-2023 11:44:19 AM
From: Pamela Bond
Subject: Peacocks in the garden!
Hi, our school/school district decided to create a new garden space close to our grass field though for the last 7 years that I have organized our garden program, we had gardens by the classrooms. So our neighborhood has peacocks that roam freely. Apparently someone had peacocks a long time ago and let them loose and their numbers have grown dramatically. One estimate was 50 but I have only ever seen up to 15 in the field at one time.
I know it's a stretch but does anyone have experience with peacocks? I tried to ask some neighbors who are also parents at the school, but one said the peacocks will eat some things and not others and the other said they put chicken wire over their garden bed (didn't check to see if the peacocks were an issue or not). I asked on a reddit garden forum and someone basically said "good luck" and he didn't think there were any deterrents that worked on peacocks and he added that he hoped they don't decide to nest in the tree because they make a huge pile of poop underneath!
We have 19 large garden beds and I shudder to think about making cages or covers for all of them, but I also don't want to use temporary bird netting which is a nightmare (to me anyway).
I was thinking I could wait and see and then if necessary, make some pvc and chicken wire removable cages at least for young gardens. It would be hard to cage ones growing snap peas once they get bigger.
We weren't able to plant anything in the fall except for some wildflower seeds due to delays with the construction company. And then a tree fell on the fence!! But we were finally given permission to go in anyway so now we have about 6 of the beds planted by classrooms and more to come.
Thanks for any help!
Pam
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Pamela Bond
Volunteer Garden Coordinator
Los Gatos, CA
16507933844
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