Grow Your Own Magazine

I'm growing potatoes in compost sacks and found 2 bags this morning with ALL of the foliage eaten by slugsI had earthed them up about a week ago and had 2 or 3 shoots about 3" high showing.Now no growth at all. Do you think if I remove some of the compost to reveal the buried shoots that these might grow again, or have I lost them?
Also, the buggers have eaten through and severed a bell pepper plant about6-7" high which was doing really well in my plastic greenhouse. There is still a couple of inches in the soil with 3 leaves attached (looks a bit limp) Could this carry on growing or is it doomed to the compost?
Very new to all this and never realised how depressed it would make me feel. I feel I'm clutching at straws, but don't want to give up too soon.
Will be out tonight looking for revenge

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Do it! Life's too short

You could try nematodes for slugs. The little beauties destroy any slugs in the ground but it takes a couple of weeks to work. I'm afraid that I resorted to mini slug pellets that were said to be safe with animals around to save my runner beans and chillis.
Good Luck with your spuds and peppers

Hi, not sure about spuds but pepper may recover, unless it goes into shock and dies.
It is frustrating and depressing at times but stick with it!!!!

Your potatoes will probably be allright Sallym. I think you will see some new top growth. The problem is the slugs get down there and eat the potatoes as well. I don't let them do that.
I put a porous membrane in the bottom of the bucket so that they can't climb in from the bottom, and put a few slug pellets on a little bit of plastic under the foliage on the top of the bucket, and dispose of the bodies as and when.
Works well for me.

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From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.

We got slug pellets from Wyvales which are "friendly " insofar as children and animals are concerned . According to the blurb the slugs feel the need to bury themselves in the soil once they have eaten so no bodies on top for birds to eat. They were cheaper than nematodes which in itself wasn't the issue but the fact that it was a live product and had a time limit for use. Not fan of pellets but no point in growing if you cant eat the crop before the slugs do. Put the pellets down beginning of May, all slug damage appears to have decreased and I cant see any dead bodies and we used them quite sparingly. It seemed to be useful bit of compromise

The name of the product is Growing Success. Advanced Slug Killer. Organic use. Rain fast pellets. £3.99 for 750grm