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We have a small raised bed here (in California) and it grows enough lettuce, beans, few others, for the 2 of us. In some cases (cilantro) it grows so much we couldn't give it away fast enough, so we're letting it go to become coriander.
When I think about gardening on the BI, I always think/worry about the semi slug and RLWD and what we could do to limit exposure if/when we move. The mind comes up with all sorts of wacky ideas when idle! Anyway, the discussion on hydroponics makes me wonder if growing in a water environment isolates the vegetable enough to lessen the chance a slug can get on it?
We minimize the risk from slugs and other bugs and the feral pigs by growing in beds that are actually raised up off the ground. So the top of the soil is at a perfect height to work it and the produce without bending over. Growing in beds also makes it easier to fill with augmented soil, since there is no good soil naturally in the ground.
We minimize the risk from slugs and other bugs and the feral pigs by growing in beds that are actually raised up off the ground. So the top of the soil is at a perfect height to work it and the produce without bending over. Growing in beds also makes it easier to fill with augmented soil, since there is no good soil naturally in the ground.
But how do you stop the slugs/snails/bugs from crawling up the side of the raised bed and onto your plants? I've seen videos that show slugs/snails crawling right over copper strips to get to food. My thought was a deep tray around the base filled with salt water, but it would get diluted by rain water pretty quickly.
Our biggest problem is squirrels, hence the chicken wire top we made. The first year we didn't have it and found hundreds of acorns buried in it, right next the all the plants they dug up!
But how do you stop the slugs/snails/bugs from crawling up the side of the raised bed and onto your plants? I've seen videos that show slugs/snails crawling right over copper strips to get to food. My thought was a deep tray around the base filled with salt water, but it would get diluted by rain water pretty quickly.
Our biggest problem is squirrels, hence the chicken wire top we made. The first year we didn't have it and found hundreds of acorns buried in it, right next the all the plants they dug up!
Haven't seen a slug in the raised beds yet. No squirrels, either.
No squirrels in Hawaii so that problem is solved. We do have our raised bed fenced to keep out the chickens, though.
For slugs, there's this lovely yellow box called 'Corey's Slug & Snail Death'. If you spread those granules around on the garden, there will be dead slug bodies found afterwards, if there's slugs in the garden. There's also 'Corey's Slug & Snail Killer', if you use that one, there won't be any bodies left laying around, I guess they have enough time to crawl (ooze?) away before they expire.
Another slug deterrent or distraction is marigolds. When those are planted around the perimeter of the garden, the slugs and snails seem to prefer being in them instead of the veggies. They don't seem to eat the marigolds, but there will be slug trails all over the tops of the marigolds and none in the garden. Very weird. Of course, there's no Corey's on top of the marigolds, so maybe it's as close as they can get and not die?
No squirrels in Hawaii so that problem is solved. We do have our raised bed fenced to keep out the chickens, though.
For slugs, there's this lovely yellow box called 'Corey's Slug & Snail Death'. If you spread those granules around on the garden, there will be dead slug bodies found afterwards, if there's slugs in the garden. There's also 'Corey's Slug & Snail Killer', if you use that one, there won't be any bodies left laying around, I guess they have enough time to crawl (ooze?) away before they expire.
Another slug deterrent or distraction is marigolds. When those are planted around the perimeter of the garden, the slugs and snails seem to prefer being in them instead of the veggies. They don't seem to eat the marigolds, but there will be slug trails all over the tops of the marigolds and none in the garden. Very weird. Of course, there's no Corey's on top of the marigolds, so maybe it's as close as they can get and not die?
Interesting about the marigolds. You could use those as an indicator to see if you have slugs, then maybe place the Corey's around those. Lure them in with pretty flowers, smite them down with granules of death!
LOL! Great plan, 67Cam! I'll try a line of granules just inside the marigolds, maybe we can use them like a fence of slug death if they get past the marigolds.
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