growing own veggies in bags and pots (Merged)

katyk_2

lbt wrote: »

Ahh, I hadn't thought of that as a way of keeping the slugs away. I can't use pellets as i have children, and I found that slug tape didn't work after a while. Will try this year - they had a field day with my spinach last year:mad:

Argument is that it interferes with their natural slime and they have difficul;ty getting over it. Can be rendered useless, though, if the plant hangs so low they can just climb up it instead of the pot!

Davesnave

lbt wrote: »

Ahh, I hadn't thought of that as a way of keeping the slugs away. I can't use pellets as i have children, and I found that slug tape didn't work after a while. Will try this year - they had a field day with my spinach last year:mad:

I had children and slug pellets....and digitalis...and aquilegias...and they all survived.

There are worse things around than slug pellets, which are all treated with a chemical called Bitrex, which makes them totally inedible. Even if your child ate one, the Bitrex would have more of an effect than the active chemical.

I'm not advocating irresponsibility, just common sense. Children are killed by all sorts of things; cars and parents mostly, but slug pellets just don't figure in the statistics.

nodwah

just sticking my oar in.. I agree with davesnave - children need to be taught what they can touch and what they can't. My kids have known since they were toddlers which berries they're allowed to eat in the garden and what things they mustn't touch and lo.. they've survived! in fact it's a nightmare visiting with other people's kids who haven't been taught anything and wander around shoving things in their mouths with harrased mothers following them - why not just teach them???

Davesnave

nodwah wrote: »

just sticking my oar in.. I agree with davesnave - children need to be taught what they can touch and what they can't. My kids have known since they were toddlers which berries they're allowed to eat in the garden and what things they mustn't touch and lo.. they've survived! in fact it's a nightmare visiting with other people's kids who haven't been taught anything and wander around shoving things in their mouths with harrased mothers following them - why not just teach them???

Well, yes, but my main point was that slug pellets aren't dangerous to humans.

I agree we should teach, but experience plays its part too.

While there was never much danger of my two doing anything daft, because they were smart & receptive, I was a different kettle of fish. As I'm told, I avoided the red & black berries I'd been warned about very carefully, but I found sheep droppings and black boot polish very much to my taste! At around three, I tried neat Dettol as a mouthwash and, after that, I was a little more circumspect in my experiments with taste buds.

Nothing teaches like experience. It's important to let kids have experiences that are unpleasant, as long as they're not really dangerous.

nodwah

Davesnave wrote: »

Well, yes, but my main point was that slug pellets aren't dangerous to humans.

I agree we should teach, but experience plays its part too.

While there was never much danger of my two doing anything daft, because they were smart & receptive, I was a different kettle of fish. As I'm told, I avoided the red & black berries I'd been warned about very carefully, but I found sheep droppings and black boot polish very much to my taste! At around three, I tried neat Dettol as a mouthwash and, after that, I was a little more circumspect in my experiments with taste buds.

Nothing teaches like experience. It's important to let kids have experiences that are unpleasant, as long as they're not really dangerous.

:rotfl:

Very good!

I'm not saying my kids are perfect - I belive they may have eaten worms (evidence of soil round mouths) and often found pebbles in their mouths - all good bacteria to strengthen the immune system!

lbt_2

I love your garden There is no nook or cranny unaccounted for!!! No wonder your garden is so productive.

I do agree on the slug pellet front, but I have one little girl who wouldn't touch them, and the other who quite possibly would no matter how much you told her otherwise. She is two and just before she was one she was climbing up my bookcases and doing all sorts of things that my eldest wouldn't have dreamt of. I am probably not doing her justice. To be fair she is a lot better now but I used know that she was likely to do the things that I didn't want her to, but that way I was prepared for it and I just dealt with it without making a big fuss and giving her too much attention for the wrong thing. Most of the time when I talk to her now, she does listen, but sometimes you can tell that she is thinking 'hmmmm, that's a good idea!!'.

richyrich7

There's alternatives to slug pellets if your really worried or your growing ethics disagree with the use. Beer traps or sour milk does the same job

hazedaze

Just been in poundland looking for cheap veggie seeds etc to grow in my containers this year (getting itchy fingers to start something going!) and saw they had bare root plants for raspberries and blueberries as well as loads of seeds, including mixed veg packs of 6 different types all in one! There has to be something I can get growing even at this time of year.....

richyrich7

It's a little too early to start much off yet even if you do can you look after them, give them the room they need and keep them warmish with good light levels ? better off waiting till the proper time IMHO

The "works" shops are supposed to have some good deals on seeds 3 for £1 and they are branded. I've not been in yet but someone on another forum I go on mentioned it.

lbt_2

You could try garlic and first early potatoes. I have some herbs and salad leaves growing on my windowsill too.