Yep -I'm guessing slugs or snails. I now have lots of jam jars over the half eaten beetroot - I'm determined not to let them win this year! They seem to be recovering quickly.
Carrots. What a palava. They have such determined persecutors! I think the damp weather is responsible for my limp seedlings (the ones in the little pots for planting on). I'm growing 99% of my veg in tubs so I'm hoping my new batch of carrots (seeds right where they are hoped to grow) might fair better with the improved drainage.
The root fly... I've heard they are almost unstoppable. I've recently found out that, even if you're carrots are elevated from the ground, Carrot Root Fly climbs nearby bushes and dive bombs them.
I know a bit about companion planting but I'm not growing any onions or garlic. Is this a stupid idea; would placing slices of garlic, on the soil near the seedlings, ward off the root flies?
The slug and snail thing is definitely a nationwide thing. I live in South Devon and everyone is complaining about them! My neighbour planted out some seedlings and they all disappeared over night!
I live in Ireland and have the same problem over here with slugs or snails (not sure which) eating so much of what i plant. I sometimes use cider in containers to catch them but that is very slimy to get rid of.
Slugs& Snails, get yourself off to your local Barbers or Hairdressers and ask them for a bag of hair, i did it last year with putting it around my Hostas, best results i have had for reduced slug damage, i put hair in my three composting bins, its full of nitrate, but it does help being a barber getting an unlimited supply.
Pash, be aware that although these deals are cheap you may not get your plants for a long time. I ordered some trailing begonias from T&M in April. The order confirmation told me they would be dispatched by end of May. It's now 8 June and their latest dispatch estimate is "a couple of weeks due to weather". I had always believed that plug plants were grown in commercial greenhouses, but obviously not!
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The root fly... I've heard they are almost unstoppable. I've recently found out that, even if you're carrots are elevated from the ground, Carrot Root Fly climbs nearby bushes and dive bombs them.
I know a bit about companion planting but I'm not growing any onions or garlic. Is this a stupid idea; would placing slices of garlic, on the soil near the seedlings, ward off the root flies?
Pash, be aware that although these deals are cheap you may not get your plants for a long time. I ordered some trailing begonias from T&M in April. The order confirmation told me they would be dispatched by end of May. It's now 8 June and their latest dispatch estimate is "a couple of weeks due to weather". I had always believed that plug plants were grown in commercial greenhouses, but obviously not!