I got my allotment last year and soon realised the soil was very depleted. I've been focussing over the winter on getting horse manure onto it. The only plants I left in for the winter were perpetual spinach, silver beet and autumn spinach. I realised the rabbits were eating that, so have built up my fences. By comparing my spinach with my neighbour's, who has no fence, I can see the rabbits must be leaving mine alone now - it's not nibbled to the ground like his - so what IS eating it now? Some allotments have lovely shaped leaves on their spinach plants, while the leaves on mine have holes and/or big chunks missing. I didn't think slugs were active at this time of year, am I wrong about that, or, does it mean I have some sorts of pests in my soil?
Any clues very welcome, I'm dead keen to get the soil in tip top condition by the spring.
Thanks, Anthea
Could be birds feeding ::). Without a picture it would be difficult to be specific.
On my site slugs are active all year round :'(, they don't hibernate. it is wet and not that cold, not much food for them at this time of a year too, so they just distroy what they can find.