What's eating my seeds?!

PreppingPingu · Post by **PreppingPingu** » Sun Jul 01, 2012 9:07 pm

Well, I planted in my new allotment some parsnips, carrots and beetroots. None sprouted.

Now I don't even think anything sprouted and got then eaten, it just never sprouted in the first place. The ground is full and I mean FULL of ants - the little whatsits are everywhere. Do they run off with seeds? I was thinking about watering in some of those nematoed thingies (how ever you spell it,) for ants and for the wine weavel larva that I've seen in the soil.

Also I planted lettuce in a nice row and undercover - tightly undercover. This started to sprout and then disappeared. I have beer traps for the slugs dotted around the place but what is eating my stuff when I have locked it down in a pegged down poly tent style cold frame. I guess slugs must be getting in somehow ... Maybe they are SAS slugs with little grapling hooks ...

Also I thought that my first early spuds might be ok to pull especially as they are flowering, but when I tentively pulled a couple up - the tubers are only a few mm in size not even a cm yet?

My first year down at the allotment is not looking rosey. Any advice would be gratefully taken on board! On the plus side this first year has be good in that I have dug, fenced and layed out the plot aswell as put up a small shed so at least I will have a head start for next year.

preppingsu · Post by **preppingsu** » Sun Jul 01, 2012 9:16 pm

We've lost a lot of seeds this year; slugs, ants, too much rain - all 3 probably!!!!

I was losing seedlings as well - pigeons, slugs etc

I moved away from being totally organic and liberally spread slug pellets across all the beds. In one day I removed 15 snails from a 6x6 bed! I made netting to keep off pigeons and to stop butterflies laying eggs too. I hung up foil dishes as bird scarers.

I planted more seeds.....our carrots have been planted 3 times.

I don't think its anything you are doing, speaking to other growers its bad all over. Everyone is struggling this year.

Off topic, I was speaking to a horse breeder yesterday and she was saying the hay harvest hasn't been done yet due to wet weather. She said it is going to be poor this year thus pushing up the price. I guess this could be the same for wheat/grain etc. She had also noted that her orchard trees are not cropping well this year either. I noticed my cooking apple tree doesn't have a good crop this year! Higher prices all round I guess!

buttystella · Post by **buttystella** » Sun Jul 01, 2012 9:38 pm

yes probably impacted by a wide variety of nasties including weather and mice i noticed squirrels are raiding the wheat fields near where i live.

bulldogeagle · Post by **bulldogeagle** » Mon Jul 02, 2012 7:27 am

due to the recent and prolonged wet spell down here, we are overrun with slugs.

preppingsu · Post by **preppingsu** » Mon Jul 02, 2012 4:31 pm

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... nment.html

SLUGS!!!!!!!!!

junmist · Post by **junmist** » Mon Jul 02, 2012 4:58 pm

Got a nice lot of onions but thats it I've given up this year
As for horses go native they have evolved to live on very little in the winter let them fattern up in the Autumn. In the last two winters I've managed mine on 6 to 8 bales of hay and thats it, much to the envy

of my horse friends.

Post by **itsybitsy** » Mon Jul 02, 2012 5:36 pm

junmist wrote:Got a nice lot of onions but thats it I've given up this year
As for horses go native they have evolved to live on very little in the winter let them fattern up in the Autumn. In the last two winters I've managed mine on 6 to 8 bales of hay and thats it, much to the envy of my horse friends.

6-8 bales of hay? For the entire winter? I am assuming that this is additional to their regular feed?

The-Great-Nothing · Post by **The-Great-Nothing** » Mon Jul 02, 2012 8:07 pm

Not wishing to gloat, but we are just about to sit down to courgette, pea and broadbean frittata (home laid hen eggs) with a big bowl of strawberries and raspberries off the allotment.....really is the good life

Ok it was a little gloat

Cheers

Matt

junmist · Post by **junmist** » Tue Jul 03, 2012 5:51 am

well I did forget to mention the 1 bag of chaff that I get at the beginning of winter

but other wise nope I just manage the acre of grazing and its not the best grazing that there is. I keep on to my farmer to sort it out but no luck so far. If you keep natives living as natural as possible it realy does not cost as much as people think. £100 a month all inclusive they will be my transport post shift both mares littlen is just a pack pony and the biger one is a working (farm/ log puller) pony as well as a pack pony and of course i could always eat them

PreppingPingu · Post by **PreppingPingu** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 5:38 pm

Arh well I am glad I am not alone. *pokes tongue out at the-great-nothing in jest* I have got some raspberries and my 5 blueberry bushes are doing fine for a first year. At least I'll get some vitamin c if nothing else!

As my food production is poor, I have been cutting grass, weeding and sorting shelves for the inside of my wee shed. I figured I can use the shed to keep a very small amount of preps. I have 4L of water and some basic first aid supplies in there anyhow. Maybe I can make one of those can stoves or use one of my camping ones and then I can brew myself a cuppa. Won't look out of the ordinary and it'll be just an extra space/stash for bits n bobs prep wise.

uk-preppers.co.uk