All my seedlings eaten at the allotment.

zarazara

Slugs and snails. I have spent over £100 on net tunnels to keep birds and insects away and slug pellets. I have had all my seedings and little plants eaten except for the leeks and shallots. I have had enough of this. I am giving up.

Lotus-eater

It can be a hard learning curve, that's for sure.

zarazara

I've been trying for 4 years. Its hopeless,

Lotus-eater

How do others do at your allotment?

Antispam

I would ask others on allotment what they do. Try and not give up if you can I understand it can be heartbreaking

Rummer

It can be so disheartening, we saved ours by using old plastic bottles until they were really quite established. What did happen to us last year that was devastating was the cabbage white caterpillars that ate all of our brassicas in just a day. I was in tears as I had spent so much time and effort raising them from seed. As the others have said ask those at the allotment what they do that is effective.

delerium

beer beer beer and more beer.....then feed the blighters to the birds :beer:

zarazara

my allotment is actually a piece of a field. I have this from the farmer. there is only me there. I have green mesh tunnels to protect from butterfiles but i cannot use white plastic things,bottles etc as they look unsightly and might blow away and injure or frighten the livestock.
I did put some slug pellets down,and it worked for about a week. my problem is that I am growing food to keep my food bills down. The cost of slug pellets means its uneconomic. I can grow rhubarb and onion family things,also a few potatoes. I will have to stick with that because everything else gets eaten.Its a shame as everything grows so well here in Shropshire,and I've free manure too. :-(

kimmee

I've got no answers for you zarazara - but just sending you ((hugs)) - it really must be heartbreaking to put in so much time, money and effort to have it just wiped out.

prettypennies

My garden is under constant siege from slugs and snails too. This year, I have been sent some sluglady collars by the RHS to trial http://www.harrodhorticultural.com/HarrodSite/pages/search/search.asp?txtSearch=slug+lady&submitflag=true&ctgry=Harrod&serial=10050935005353865

These are basically cardboard collars impregnated with salt and sulphate which is repellant to the little blighters. I will let you know if they are any good.

as anyone tried nematode worms to supress their slug/snail population? Do they work on snails aswell as slugs?

stilernin

I really feel for you zarazara and wasn't sure what to suggest that you wouldn't have already tried.

I am sure that the surrounding grass will be part of the problem. Keeping a strip of uncultivated, well hoed, dry, no-mans land around your plot might help. Perhaps a small trench filled with small sized grit would help too.

Another thought, are you sure it is slugs and snails? I have a suburban garden with neighbouring wood pigeons resident in nearby leylandii that just watch and wait for me to plant anything out. They just march up and down my garden like a couple of yummy mummies in the aisles of Waitrose!! Trouble is, it is only me that pays the price.

Best of luck with your local battle.

Still jealous of your plot though.