Allotments 4 All

Straw under berries keeps them off the ground but gives bugs a perfect home. I'm trying this: From a roll of secondhand lino I cut a piece about a foot square, a wiggly cut to the centre and a hole. The lino has a natural bend to it due to being rolled up and is a snug fit over a mound of soil. I use the under side which isn't as smooth as the surface side so I'm hoping the slugs won't like to go over it. You could argue that I'm also giving them a home, but having lost quite a few strawberries to slugs already, and not seeing a sign of a slug during the day, if they are hiding under the lino, I have 'em!

Waste not want not....the lino from the middle bit make great plant labels and hung out on a line, bird scarers.

KK, let us know if it works. I've been thinking of something along similar lines to keep the slugs away from my plants. I had a similar idea in mind but was trying to find a "material" with a rough surface, something like coarse sandpaper but obviously that would be too expensive.

Your strawberries look very yummy!  :)

You could make your own sandpaper with sand cardboard and glue (or old paint, varnish &c.) -that's what I do for the antislip on boats and boards.

I grow mine through permeable membrane -mainly because the bed wan't really ready when I planted them and haven't had any trouble with slugs -probably because they're all too busy eating the everything else in the bed (only the strawbs are membraned)

Jeremy

Thanks for the suggestion Jeremy, I might just give that a try.  :)

I bought some of that animal friendly snail killer (because I have hedgehogs in my garden) and the slugs just crawled over it and carried on eating my plants.  >:(

I found that eggshells work as well as 'Slug Stoppa' -except we don't eat that many eggs (the consequences would be too horrible to think about  ;D)

Jeremy

I have put some horticultural grit around my strawbs.

They are growing nicely, fingers crossed that it stays that way ;D

Debs

OK! It's a week since I put the 'lino' mats around the strawberries. At the same time I picked and threw away lots of slug bitten ones. Yesterday I checked them again. Not one strawberry showed slug damage! The lino mats worked; Well, they have so far. Maybe the slugs are having a council of war to decide on a plan to reach the strawberries without having to touch the lino.

This seems like a very good idea Ken.  I have got straw under my strawberries, but I am not happy with it, as it is such an arbour for slugs which can't be seen.  In fact I think it attracts them - a nice comfy cosy little nest for them.

Will have to look around for something I can make a collar out of. What I want is a Skip with a roll of lino in it  ;D busy_lizzie

BL, ask at your local carpet shop if they have any offcuts they are throwing away, or find yourself a friendly carpet layer!  ;D DP

Where I work they sell this copper mesh that consist of 1 and a half inch squares. I laid down some of this in my mum's garden and not only does it look good, it also keep the slugs of her flowerbeds. Very expensive though for a whole allotment.

Went to the plot this morning. Dispatched 7 hugh slugs....but none were anywhere near the strawberries. (Reminder to spend wet days making lino mats.)

Hi, all! I have my strawberries growing in 2 pots - smaller one stacked on top of bigger one - and slugs can't be bothered to crawl up! I had a good crop last year by planting some tom thumbs in between the strawberry plants. The big tom thumb leaves hid the berries from the birds and of course the combination of red berries and orange & yellow flowers looked great! :)

Update re horticultural grit...

It has worked a treat :D

Strawbs are fruiting nicely, just need a good dose of geordie sunshine to ripen them.

PS Got my grit from Peter Barratts - £3. 50 ish per bag which was enough to surround 15 plants.

Debs