I did think twice before posting this, so please be polite if you reply, but I have never felt the need to use pest controls other than through allotment design.
For instance, I find that growing carrots in an elevated bed of some sort keeps carrot fly out. I use a builders bag. You do need to make sure the bed is situated in the open though. If the bed is near to a hedge for instance, the hedge will cause the fly to climb higher. They can fly high, but generally choose not to.
Mice used to be destructive, but now I use decoy feeding at the crucial time and often start early peas off in the greenhouse. I also avoid putting anything they will readily take to to build a nest in too close to sensitive crops. Likewise I don't put crops like peas too close to where the mice live. I enjoy watching the mice under the bird feeder.
As for the birds, I know what is in danger and I net it, but I also let them have their share. The pigeons are currently enjoying the remains of last years kohlrabi.
Slugs and snails don't seem to cause any trouble any more. I think this is because the ground is kept quite clean and I avoid setting up a slug hotel (long grass or piles of bricks etc) too near to sensitive plants. I plant my lettuces well out in the open and they don't suffer at all. If I water, which is rare, I do it in the morning.
Anyway these are my methods for friendly pest control, and I wondered whether you have any other ideas which don't resort to chemical annihilation.
