Sweetcorn

I sowed a couple of trays of sweetcorn a few weeks ago, and once they had germinated (pretty high germination rate too, which surprised me), I whipped the plastic propagator type lid off them to let them get a bit of air (they are in the greenhouse); anyway, the following day, a scene of devastation met me - every seedling had been dug up out of its cell and a good few of them had been munched - - I presume by mice.

So, I shoved the remaining seedlings back into compost where I could, sowed another couple of trays, and then covered them both; they have remained covered since, and I now have a fairly decent quantity of seedlings that are now starting to get too big to be under the covers....

If I uncover them now, are they likely to get dug up again? Are they really that attractive to mice/voles? How in the name of the wee man did they know they were there (top shelf in the greenhouse no less!), and if it isn't safe to uncover them, what can I do as an alternative?

 

They are bigger this time, but still not well established; I don't have a way of hanging them from the rafters that I can think of - unless I stick 'em in hanging baskets, but that would make working in the greenhouse a bit of a nightmare.

Is there a point when the scent goes away, and they become 'just plants'?

 

Well, they have been uncovered since, and are all thriving

 

I have various types of shelving @Scrungee, so they are almost treated to ladders in my greenhouse. Toward the end of the season this year, I must finish off covering a gap that runs under two thirds of my greenhouse base to try and stop the wee blighters getting in

 

Nah, mine are fine now and still in the greenhouse - it was only when they were in the very early stages that I had a problem, and I now suspect that it might have been made worse by me soaking the seeds in camomile overnight before sowing. I will be planting mine out over the next 14 days all being well.