This is a journal of my vegetable gardens. Skippy was my first dog and he thought the garden was his, even though I did all the work. Now Suzie and Charley follow in his footsteps. We're located near Boston (USDA zone 6A). I have a community plot, a backyard vegetable garden, fruit trees, berry bushes, chickens, and bees. I use sustainable organic methods and do my best to grow all of my family's vegetables myself.
your harvest looks great!!... we are eating lettuces, spinach and green onions from the garden with no slug damage...so good... want to share a new discovery...I have long known that copper was a deterrent for slugs and snails but the cost was prohibitive but now corey's has a copper tape for the garden...the northwest is slug and snail country and this tape blocks the slugs with no chemicals. As an organic gardener my only defense was crushed egg shells before, but now I have put the copper tape on top of my 2x4s in my raised bed that has the slugs favorite greens and once I eliminated the slugs that were already there not a thing has been touched...not even the marigolds.. a northwest organic gardener.
That's a gorgeous harvest of greens. We just started getting some tatsoi and mizuna. I wish I had planted more variety, but our springs are usually too hot for spinach and lettuce.
don't you use Sluggo? That's what I do. It's the only thing I've found that works. I know there are complaints about it, but it's organic approved. I think the ingredients are fine. Anyway, I haven't used it yet but am planning to sprinkle a bit around tomorrow. Just around my single napa cabbage and my mom's cucumbers and basil. Not so much is being eaten. Fortunately the slugs have been particular. Maybe too much rain here for even the slugs! Too much rain for me!!
I overwintered many small lettuces, escarole, and other greens, then planted seeds early (April) inside under lights. Both plantings have been really productive this year. I also usually have trouble growing spinach but had spinach from both plantings this year that was nice. We had a cool spring, which helped for spinach (though maybe not tomatoes and others warm weather crops). I planted heat tolerant varieties of lettuce two weeks ago. Hopefully they'll be ready for harvest when my spring plantings are done.
I have been a long fan of gardener/author ann lovejoy... in her blog this is what she explained about sluggo..."Sad News About Slug Baits
Here’s the sad story with Sluggo and its ilk: Iron phosphate is listed as the active ingredient, even though by itself it is not actually toxic. Like so many gardeners, I believed the party line about these baits, which was that iron phosphate is safe for vertebrates but not for molluscs. As I now know, by itself, iron phosphate is NOT toxic even to molluscs. In order to make the iron phosphate toxic, manufacturers add a very commonly used substance called EDTA (because who wants to say Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid?). In itself also largely harmless, in combination with iron phosphate, EDTA creates iron toxicity not just in slugs and snails but in cats, dogs, birds, and more. Worse yet, it kills worms outright." hope this explains why I won't use sluggo...used crushed egg shells for years now wahoo! to copper...north west organic gardener
EDTA is very commonly used in medicines, foods, cleaning products, etc. it is a preservative generally that binds the positive ions that cause oxidation. So in slug bait it binds the normally available positive ions calcium and magnesium that are not toxic and then the iron oxide is toxic to invertebrates. The formulation used is not attractive to animals so there is minimal risk to them.
I understand that a concern of EDTA is that it degrades very slowly in the environment. That's an issue. But there is no negative issue associated with it in the environment (the formulation with iron is what's toxic). Research is trying to find be a more degradable substitute. (I'm only summarizing Wikipedia here along with my biochemistry background).
As gardeners, there are times when we need to kill pests to grow food. We use organic agents, but they still kill pests. They are certified organic because they have very low impact on the environment. I use horticultural oil to kill pests on my fruit trees, spinosad or BT sparingly to kill cabbage worms. That's about it, other than slug bait. Slugs completely eat cucumber, basil, zinnia and other seedlings. In a damp area they grow to several inches and are pretty nasty to step on in the dark with bare feet. It's a personal choice of course, but I don't like to have slugs of snails in my garden. I don't mind then in other places.
Slug bait is also not something that garden worms would normAlly eat they are underground and when slug bait dissolves and reaches where they are, it's not the same formulation. That's my understanding.
Well a long reply, but I think slug bait, row cover, plant collars, fences, and horticultural oils are the best garden pest controls. I'd love to hear more info to advise against this.
I'm a long-time reader of yours, and I have a question about something I'm not sure has ever been addressed on your blog.
What's your method for washing homegrown veggies before eating? I always feel like I'm wasting a lot of water! Would love to hear your suggestions. :-)
I can't wait to get my first lettuce harvest. It feels like such a long wait!!
ReplyDeleteyour harvest looks great!!... we are eating lettuces, spinach and green onions from the garden with no slug damage...so good... want to share a new discovery...I have long known that copper was a deterrent for slugs and snails but the cost was prohibitive but now corey's has a copper tape for the garden...the northwest is slug and snail country and this tape blocks the slugs with no chemicals. As an organic gardener my only defense was crushed egg shells before, but now I have put the copper tape on top of my 2x4s in my raised bed that has the slugs favorite greens and once I eliminated the slugs that were already there not a thing has been touched...not even the marigolds.. a northwest organic gardener.
ReplyDeleteThat's a gorgeous harvest of greens. We just started getting some tatsoi and mizuna. I wish I had planted more variety, but our springs are usually too hot for spinach and lettuce.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous,
ReplyDeletedon't you use Sluggo? That's what I do. It's the only thing I've found that works. I know there are complaints about it, but it's organic approved. I think the ingredients are fine. Anyway, I haven't used it yet but am planning to sprinkle a bit around tomorrow. Just around my single napa cabbage and my mom's cucumbers and basil. Not so much is being eaten. Fortunately the slugs have been particular. Maybe too much rain here for even the slugs! Too much rain for me!!
I overwintered many small lettuces, escarole, and other greens, then planted seeds early (April) inside under lights. Both plantings have been really productive this year. I also usually have trouble growing spinach but had spinach from both plantings this year that was nice. We had a cool spring, which helped for spinach (though maybe not tomatoes and others warm weather crops). I planted heat tolerant varieties of lettuce two weeks ago. Hopefully they'll be ready for harvest when my spring plantings are done.
ReplyDeleteI have been a long fan of gardener/author ann lovejoy... in her blog this is what she explained about sluggo..."Sad News About Slug Baits
ReplyDeleteHere’s the sad story with Sluggo and its ilk: Iron phosphate is listed as the active ingredient, even though by itself it is not actually toxic. Like so many gardeners, I believed the party line about these baits, which was that iron phosphate is safe for vertebrates but not for molluscs. As I now know, by itself, iron phosphate is NOT toxic even to molluscs. In order to make the iron phosphate toxic, manufacturers add a very commonly used substance called EDTA (because who wants to say Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid?). In itself also largely harmless, in combination with iron phosphate, EDTA creates iron toxicity not just in slugs and snails but in cats, dogs, birds, and more. Worse yet, it kills worms outright." hope this explains why I won't use sluggo...used crushed egg shells for years now wahoo! to copper...north west organic gardener
EDTA is very commonly used in medicines, foods, cleaning products, etc. it is a preservative generally that binds the positive ions that cause oxidation. So in slug bait it binds the normally available positive ions calcium and magnesium that are not toxic and then the iron oxide is toxic to invertebrates. The formulation used is not attractive to animals so there is minimal risk to them.
ReplyDeleteI understand that a concern of EDTA is that it degrades very slowly in the environment. That's an issue. But there is no negative issue associated with it in the environment (the formulation with iron is what's toxic). Research is trying to find be a more degradable substitute. (I'm only summarizing Wikipedia here along with my biochemistry background).
As gardeners, there are times when we need to kill pests to grow food. We use organic agents, but they still kill pests. They are certified organic because they have very low impact on the environment. I use horticultural oil to kill pests on my fruit trees, spinosad or BT sparingly to kill cabbage worms. That's about it, other than slug bait. Slugs completely eat cucumber, basil, zinnia and other seedlings. In a damp area they grow to several inches and are pretty nasty to step on in the dark with bare feet. It's a personal choice of course, but I don't like to have slugs of snails in my garden. I don't mind then in other places.
Slug bait is also not something that garden worms would normAlly eat they are underground and when slug bait dissolves and reaches where they are, it's not the same formulation. That's my understanding.
Well a long reply, but I think slug bait, row cover, plant collars, fences, and horticultural oils are the best garden pest controls. I'd love to hear more info to advise against this.
Hi Kathy,
ReplyDeleteI'm a long-time reader of yours, and I have a question about something I'm not sure has ever been addressed on your blog.
What's your method for washing homegrown veggies before eating? I always feel like I'm wasting a lot of water! Would love to hear your suggestions. :-)