I planted some butterhead lettuce seedlings under a mini-polytunnel on the plot yesterday, before the snow fell. Am I mad? Will they survive and flourish? They seemed all right today, but I'm worried for them. Has anyone else done this?
Nothing ventured -nothing gained?
I have been planting two long rows of various winter hardy salads under mini tunnels inside my polytunnel.
I`ll no doubt take some losses but I will also have a salad crop when it costs a fortune to buy
Sure, they should be fine hopalong. Not seedlings I know but I have butterheads growing in a growbag and they were fine today after last nights snow.
I sow my winter lettuce in Sept/early Oct so they can get some growth on before it gets too dark & cold.
Watch the slugs don't get them.
Quote from: Bean_Queen on November 10, 2008, 08:43:49
I sow my winter lettuce in Sept/early Oct so they can get some growth on before it gets too dark & cold.
Watch the slugs don't get them.
Thanks. I put down some of those "organic" pellets but I don't have great confidence in them. I haven't checked for a couple of days - too wet!
Quote from: hopalong on November 10, 2008, 15:52:05
Quote from: Bean_Queen on November 10, 2008, 08:43:49
I sow my winter lettuce in Sept/early Oct so they can get some growth on before it gets too dark & cold.
Watch the slugs don't get them.
Thanks. I put down some of those "organic" pellets but I don't have great confidence in them. I haven't checked for a couple of days - too wet!
The pellets do work Hopalong, they actually work better when damp. You could also try Bran as in horse feed bran.....its cheaper. That works best when its dry, so if you have a way to cover it to keep the rain off. The slugs love bran and eat so much they either pop or dry out on it ;D ;D ;D
Quote from: star on November 10, 2008, 18:24:51
Quote from: hopalong on November 10, 2008, 15:52:05
Quote from: Bean_Queen on November 10, 2008, 08:43:49
I sow my winter lettuce in Sept/early Oct so they can get some growth on before it gets too dark & cold.
Watch the slugs don't get them.
Thanks. I put down some of those "organic" pellets but I don't have great confidence in them. I haven't checked for a couple of days - too wet!
The pellets do work Hopalong, they actually work better when damp. You could also try Bran as in horse feed bran.....its cheaper. That works best when its dry, so if you have a way to cover it to keep the rain off. The slugs love bran and eat so much they either pop or dry out on it ;D ;D ;D
That's helpful thanks, star. I won't give up on the pellets yet, although I haven't found them very good so far. The lettuces are under a mini-polytunnel, so bran might just work. I also find coffee grounds very good, if I can get enough of them.
Hi Hopalong......the reason you probably think the pellets dont work is that you dont see dead slugs, right? The little darlings after eating these pellets dont reduce to a slimy mess as with metaldehyde.
Apparently they die away from the crop. I think it says something on the packaging, or on the website ;)
Quote from: star on November 10, 2008, 18:36:32
Hi Hopalong......the reason you probably think the pellets dont work is that you dont see dead slugs, right? The little darlings after eating these pellets dont reduce to a slimy mess as with metaldehyde.
Apparently they die away from the crop. I think it says something on the packaging, or on the website ;)
Not really. It's more to do with the fact that things still keep getting chewed up.
;D ;D ;D ;D..........Oh :-\