Allotments 4 All

For those of you with cold frames, what tips do you have for keeping pests such as slugs and snails out of your coldframe. I have just got a new frame and have built a solid concrete base for it, in the hope that this will discourage the nasties.

My old cold frame was set on gravel and I used to get so much trouble with pests getting in and eating my plants that it put me off having anything in there that was not well grown and able to withstand attack. Yet I keep reading that you can raise various plants from seed in coldframes, and in fact many seed germinates better in the cooler conditions of the coldframe (a greenhouse being too warm).

I was hoping the new frame would fit snugly enough to the new base to keep at least slugs and snails out, but alas there are a couple of gaps which i am sure an adventurous slug could creep through and feast on my plants. I dont know what i can do prevent this.

Any advice on the matter would be appreciated.

I staple black plastic or weed supressing membrane over the base of the frame, helps with a bit of absorbed heat as well.

Then around the rim of the cold frame I have stappled a strip of copper, these stops the slugs in their tracks.

Dont have any other real prpblem with pest though.

HTH

Jerry