The all new 2019 growing your own thread!

baggins11

Glad all ok euronorris and I hope the exam went well.

I just looked at forecast and it is saying light frost here tomorrow night so I guess my dahlia pots will be back in the house. Hopefully after the weekend everything can stay out in the greenhouse as we have a party here next week so I don't want the house cluttered up with plants.

I went to wilko and bought even more flower seeds today and did a bit more potting on. Running out of space in the greenhouse so I need to get the big plastic one up.

I saw some slug pellets that said organic growers approved - sounds like they are safer to use than the traditional type. They contain ferric phosphate. I don't like the idea of using them but my lettuce is getting a battering. Does anyone use them with veg beds?

I still plan on buying the nematodes but really want to get rid of the adults now and this wet weather is bringing them all out.

euronorris

Our experience with slug pellets is dire. We learnt, after using them, that they work by attracting the slugs in the first place and we just got infested with the b*ggers! So, now we won't use them. Going to try nemotodes this time. And copper tape. And crushed egg shell. And maybe a line of sand. lol anything I can think of! haha

euronorris

unrecordings wrote: »

My instinct would have been 'too opaque for this time of year', but then again milk containers are (in my eyes) about the same opacity as a lot of the polytunnels I've seen so you may be onto something

Good to hear you're okay

Thank you.


I was wondering the same thing, so I think I might give it a try for a couple of days and see how it gets on.


We are due a dip in temps overnight of circa 2 degrees, which is very chilly. I have some bubble wrap and other packaging in garage (that I keep for shipping things I sell on ebay), so I am thinking of wrapping them around the bottles to give them some extra insulation, and secure in place with large elastic bands.


On a separate note, DD is going to her playgroup Easter party today in her bunny jumper and with her hair styled like bunny ears (well, my mediocre attempt at it anyway! lol). So cute!

unrecordings

I found wood ash is good. I keep a bucket of the stuff and liberally douse it round the base of my beans (and poles), before that I did try copper wire... ... lots of it

I also keep an old casserole pot lid, so they have somewhere to gather and be collected, but I keep forgetting to put it out

Primrose

Remember they don't drown easily ! I kept a half full bucket of water handy into which I would throw them but they almost always succeeded in climbing out
If you put a lid on the bucket, when you take it off you'll probably find all the slugs up there clinging to the lid.
I don't know whether putting salt or vinegar in the water helps hasten their demise . The problem is that the water still has to be disposed off safely afterwards and where do you pour it without poisoning the soil? That's why I won't use bleach. Also although I hate slugs with a vengeance I still don,t like the idea of them dying in agony.

I have the same dilemma currently with rats where we're suffering an increase in them and are having to put down bait boxes. We found a young rat dying inside one of our bait boxes the other day and it wasn't a pretty sight. But neither do I want them urinating all over my vegetable patch and infecting the soil.

euronorris

It's very tricky, isn't it? They seem to gather in our watering can, so I can only assume they like a good swim!


I also don't like being mean, so when I spot one now I put it in the green waste bin and kid myself that I've just sent it to Snail/Slug heaven! lol

Karmacat

euronorris wrote: »

I also don't like being mean, so when I spot one now I put it in the green waste bin and kid myself that I've just sent it to Snail/Slug heaven! lol

I do that!

And I work quite hard at rescuing woodlice, I like woodlice - if I'm sweeping the patio (with a handbrush, because I let it get really dire ) I wait 5 minutes if I'm throwing it in the bin, so the woodlice can climb out).

unrecordings

Primrose wrote: »

Remember they don't down easily ! I kept a half full bucket of water handle into which I would throw them but they almost always succeeded in climbing out
If you put a lid on the bucket, when you take it off you'll probably find all the slugs up there clinging to it!
I don't know whether putting salt or vinegar in the water helps hasten their demise . The problem is that the water still has to be disposed off safely afterwards and where do you pour it without poisoning the soil. That's why I won't use bleach. Also although I hate slugs with a vengeance I still don,t like the idea of their dying in agony.

I have the same dilemma currently with rats where we're suffering an increase in them and are having to put down bait boses. We found a young rat dying inside one of our bait boxes the other day and it wasn't a pretty sight. But neither do I want them urinating all over my vegetable patch and infecting the soil.

Ah, I might not have been clear enough, it's just the lid with that exact intention that they gather somewhere harmless ready for that journey into the woods (because folks chucking them next door is anti-social)

As far as rats go - you need a cat that was born feral - they'll have learnt how to deal with rats, whereas most (I say most) kittens raised in the home find rats a little too feisty

Edited to add: Yep, some lucky slugs get to ride in the green bin here too.

Mnd

That's one of my unfavorite jobs done, the netting over the brassica bed. It's one of the only 2 things my wife and I used to fall out about, now I'm retired I do it on my own.
( the other one is the Christmas lights. :xmastree::xmastree::xmastree: in case you're wondering )

baggins11

I am glad I am not the only one feeling guilty about pest control. I had to put down bait boxes this morning Primrose as we also have a rat problem and I have been thinking about it all day with a heavy heart. I hate rats but it doesn't feel good killing them.

I wish we could get a farm cat unrecordings as I would much prefer that approach but one of our dogs wouldn't be happy with a cat around. I was thinking of getting a little terrier in the future who I hoped might have the same effect. Growing up we had up to 10 farm cats at a time and we still had a rat problem so I think it depends on the cat (and possibly how well fed they are).

I used to do the same thing with slugs - all you can eat buffet in the green bin. Here annoyingly we don't have green gardening waste bins so I need to find another approach.