Grow Your Own Magazine

I have a new allotment and have planted Broccoli and sprouts which have been eaten up by slugs. I think. Nearly all the green has gone. I put out organic pellets but nearly all my little plants have been munched.

Should I leave the sad stumps of the first batch will they grow again?
I have some more plants left in the greenhouse what should I do to protect these?
In addition I have some cabbage plants to plant - how do I protect these little lovelies?
Please help!
Junior Gardener
PS I am a very sad 1st year allotment holder

Hi and welcome to the vine. Sorry to read about your plants - mind you, sounds like it may be pidgeons rather than slimeys that ate them. Are they literally stumps or is there still a growing bit in the middle? If there is still a growing bit then leave them for a while and see if they start to regrow. Best way to keep the darling birdies off is to cover with some net.

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Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk

Our Brocolli was attacked earlier this year just as it was about to crop by the huge (I mean huge!) Wood Pigeons that seem to hang out in our garden most of the time.
They started on the Brassica's this year just after they'd been planted and the damage was very different to slug damage - very angular, beak like chopping and no visible slime. Everything's been securely netted since and there's been no further damage. Good luck!

We lose more brassicas to birds than to slugs. I now plant them out under netting. Worth a go.

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It takes more oil than vinegar to make a good salad dressing.

vegheaven.blogspot.com Updated Aug 29th 2008

Thanks - I will try netting

After finding caterpillars in the middle of our calabrese, I always grow our brassicas under an Enviromesh cloche - keeps off the cabbage whites & the birds! I only have to worry about the slugs & snails then I've also found that the organic pellets work much better if they're damp - the slugs seem to be more attracted to them then?

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Sarah

http://wixypixies.blogspot.com/

“Tell me one last thing,” said Harry. “Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?”
“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

i keep things in the greenhouse until they're big enough to survive slug attacks - i keep spares going as long as possible, just in case - so far, so good - lost a few brassicas to kids and dog, nothing to slugs and pigeons yet
i use slug pellets regularly - not got round to netting anything yet, but i will .....

I lost a lot of my first plantings on my lottie (first time with one this year) to what I think was rabbits, since there are hundreds around the place. I now have everything under netting and have had no further losses - oh, and there are copious amounts of slug pellets too I'm afraid. Then one day last week, in a hurry to get stuff planted and get home to cook OH dinner, I put out some frenchies I'd been growing at home and some borlottis which I was sooooo looking forward to without netting and the lot got munched by said rabbits - the moral of this tale is .......

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Life may not be the party we hoped for but since we're here we might as well dance

Oh dear, poor junior gardener! It's just the worst feeling, isn't it, when the result of all your love and attention gets munched

It does happen to us all, I promise - although that's not much compensation, I know.

Don't let it get you down - do what you can to protect the seedlings and try again.

Although you do get problems with big plants, I find it is better to plant out strong, pot-grown plants. They can usually survive a few attacks from nasties because they've got more leaves. I also advice using netting as birds can cause massive damage.

Keep trying. Best of luck.

I know how you feel - but net net net and net some more ... it'll be pigeons fersure

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aka
Suzie

definatly pigeons, I have had to net mine this year.

I would also net if I intended to use slug pellets. I don't want my birds and hedgehogs eating poisoned slugs! I have put cages of wooden frames covered with chicken wire over my brassicas. They are looking great so far. I now need to see if the cabbage whites get through. They did last year and I scraped off eggs and collected up caterpillars so I got a good crop. Nearly a full-time job though!

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It takes more oil than vinegar to make a good salad dressing.

vegheaven.blogspot.com Updated Aug 29th 2008

I know how you feel, popped over the other day to find something (almost certainly rabbits, they live under the plot ) had got under my net and there was nothing left of my sprouts and cauli's.. and the slugs got the seedlings I'd planted at home so I'm back to stage one.. trying to learn a lesson and not let it get me down but i did go home rather depressed that day I must admit..