Newbies at growing our own -

mother_hen_2

Advice needed please - we have planted carrots, cabbage and potatoes, they all seem to be doing well- until the local wildlife (from the field alongside) such as field mice, rabbits and of course slugs decide to have their share! Is there anything we can do to protect? We have tried putting down grit and oyster shell re -the slugs, that doesn't seem to be working! bit reluctant to buy 'slug pellets' in case the birds eat them. I'm sure we're not the only one experiencing this?
Advice welcome

Zazen999

Organic slug pellets are ok for birds, so my Organic GURU at HDRA tells me. He was part of the original testing and if he uses them, then so will I.

It's not the birds eating the pellets that is the problem, it is the birds eating slugs that have been killed with the pellets.....

oliveoyl

I use these http://www.monrobrands.com/growingsuccess/detail.php?category=Slug_control&pageNum_Recordset1=0

Lotus-eater

Use the pellets as they say.
The mice should only really go for your big seeds, peas beans etc, so sort that out and you should be ok with them.
Rabbits will eat everything, either shoot them, or get someone to do it, ferreting the same, (there was someone on here who is always looking for places to ferret) or put up a fence. Difficult to live with are rabbits (they always hog the remote)

A_Star

some secure netting over hoops should keep the rabbits off.

angelavdavis

I have always found putting down porridge oats for the slugs useful. You will need to keep replenishing. It keeps most of them away from the plants. I avoid using pellets because I have free ranging chickens who usually gobble up the slugs that have gorged themselves.

I don't have to garden around rabbits, but there are plenty of people on here that do, so I will leave the advice to them.

TomsMom

angelavdavis wrote: »

I have always found putting down porridge oats for the slugs useful. You will need to keep replenishing. It keeps most of them away from the plants.

Oooh Angela, that sounds interesting. As a newbie to growing myself I was horrified to find Big Mamma Slug and her family was visiting this morning, first slugs we've seen since moving in a few weeks ago although we do get snails.

Can you tell me how the porridge works? I'd like to think they love to eat it and would gorge themselves to the point of bursting but no doubt I'm wrong .

mother_hen_2

Ok thanks for your advice, will give it all a go (although the porridge oats sound interesting- usually cook that for our chickens!)

tim_n

OK :-

Rabbits require netting to keep them off. You can either put it round specific crops or run it round the whole plot. Alternatively, you can go down with a decent air rifle...

Birds - scarecrows don't work particularly well but can be fun and ornamental. Generally I see them as convienent perch for birds. You can use free CDs (or ruined ones) tied up on string, bits of tinfoil (preferably recycled), plastic bags etc which will work sometimes. Again netting (a physical barrier) seems to work the best.

Slugs. Beer traps work well, it's basically a jam jar just above soil level (an inch is enough to stop beetles wandering in) with a dram of beer in it. Slugs fall in, get drunk and dehydrated then die. Birds love them (bird bar snacks?). Porridge is loved by slugs and they will go for that rather than your crops. It's also quite drying for them so if it's sprinked around the crop, they can get quite dehyrated whilst slipping over it.

Best solution seems to be hedgehogs, frogs and ducks. They all love them and will do minimum damage to crops.

Similarly you collect them yourself - go down with a torch and a jam jar and pick them off, or put a bounty on each slug and let the young ones do it. Take baby wipes or similar for afters though if they've not got good gloves.

Dispatching them is a difficult business for some people. Either box 'em up and release them in local woodland (where the wildlife will take care of them), chop 'em up with a spade, feed to birds (chicken pens are a good dumping ground as long as you've not been using the forementioned pellets)

You've not mention foxes, but where there are rabbits, birds and slug eating creatures you'll see foxes. They often bury eggs in your freshly dug beds etc. Best way to deal with them is male urine (not female) liberally dosed around the boundaries. Just tip it into a watering can and liberally dose around the lottie boundary. In diluted form it'll really help your veg too...

mother_hen_2

Wow tim-n your very knowledgeable.. thankyou for being kind enough to offer your suggestions, without doubt we will give them all a go...
We do have our own chickens that love slugs.. but unfortunately, they also eat everything else in sight - so letting them loose without monitoring isn't good - LOL
Not been too bad for the foxes - think our two very large German Shepherds keep them at bay.. the urine bit.. well the dogs certainly share that well all over the garden...