At wits end with carrots and slugs

Auntiemand

Hello all

Last year I sowed 10 rows of carrots, one after the other as each time the seedlings raised their heads they were eaten by, I assume, slugs.

I treated the soil with nematodes but to no avail.   I cannot use slugs pellets etc as I have a resident hedgehog and loads of frogs in the garden.

Tried again this year and had very successful germination only for them all to disappear only three days later.

I know it's a perennial question but does anyone have any ideas.   What is really odd is that the 3 years previously I grew fab carrots with no issues.   Mr hedgehog wasn't resident then.

I do grow some in pots but it's not the same.

Thank you. 

marshmello

To be honest with you, I surround my carrots with net, just high enough so I can get my legs over so I can weed etc. But I mainly do this to protect them from carrot fly which can ruin my full crop. A net might keep Mr hedgehog out from the carrot patch.

Also, there are wildlife friendly slug pellets on the market these days, I think they are slighty more expensive then their cheaper counterparts. However, I have not tryed them, as I do not use pellets, but this could be another option for you.

http://www.organiccatalogue.com/p1821/ADVANCED-SLUG-KILLER-575g/product_info.html

Alina W

As Marshmello says, there are safe wildlife-friendly slug pellets available, and they co-exist very happily with my large bird population, hedgehogs and frogs galore. The pellets linked to above are not a poison, but a chemical that affects slugs and snails by drying them and making them feel vile. As a result, they crawl away and hide to die. The pellets themselves break down into fertilizer after six weeks.

Auntiemand

Brilliant news about the pellets, will pick some up today.

Thanks both.

Chris 7

I cover my carrots with fleece,  making sure the edges of the fleece are buried.  this makes a physical barrier which the slugs can't break.  It also prevents carrot fly.

Or as people have said use slug pellets but make sure they're pet and wildlife friendly !

Chris

samantha olivant

also a good tip the slugs dont like crushed egg shells that works

kyra Barnett

I always plant my carrots in tubs and get great results no carrot fly problems slugs are kept at bay by surrounding the base of the tub with wildlife friendly slug pellets the carrots pull really easily from the compost which can be reused and best of all it frees up space in the veg bed for something else to grow

Edentoy

This year i have put a 2" wide barrier of sand around my carrot bed so far no slugs

Bob177

After a gap of 30yrs, I have started growing my own veg again - in raised beds, covered with Enviromesh, That I hope will keep out pretty much all predators.

Welshonion

Does it not occur to anybody that slug pellets are not hedgehog friendly; never, ever. If you kill all the slugs what are the hedgehogs to eat?  It is not a case of poisoning the hedgehogs, it's starving them.