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How to protect my strawberries and peppers?

Shoxt3rShoxt3r Posts: 196
in Fruit & veg
Hi there,

So after planting some strawberry plants last year they seem to have really come on this year - but unfortunately slugs and ants are getting in and eating our first crop before we've had a chance to pick them!

We tried to use dishes of sugary water which worked to some extent last year but as the plants are so grown up this year I'm unconvinced it will do anything to help. I'm thinking that slugs are eating into them and the ants are then finishing them off via the holes that are left.

In addition we have some pepper plants in the same raised bed which haven't grown very much at all and are getting their leaves eaten (no fruit to speak of with these yet though).

Both sets of plants are in a 6ft length raised bed which is surrounded by about 1ft and are covered by a plastic cloche on a metal frame (very similar to this setup - https://www.gardensite.co.uk/images/thumbs/database_images/ogrow-seed-starter-coldframe-cloche-9bd3323cf629f898515df96a0cc96f53_original.jpg)

Any thoughts please?

Posts

  • amancalledgeorgeamancalledgeorge Posts: 2,736
    I'd be seriously concerned to have vegetables under cover when it starts warming up in the coming weeks. But it looks easy enough to remove the cover...as for damage from slugs and snails, it's all about being vigilant and getting rid of them when you find them. It's time consuming but it's the only way. 
    It depends when you planted the peppers, but I wouldn't expect a crop from mine until next month, they need constant sun and warmth to develop but when they start taking off, there's no stopping.
    To Plant a Garden is to Believe in Tomorrow
  • Shoxt3rShoxt3r Posts: 196
    amancalledgeorge said:
    I'd be seriously concerned to have vegetables under cover when it starts warming up in the coming weeks. But it looks easy enough to remove the cover...as for damage from slugs and snails, it's all about being vigilant and getting rid of them when you find them. It's time consuming but it's the only way. 
    It depends when you planted the peppers, but I wouldn't expect a crop from mine until next month, they need constant sun and warmth to develop but when they start taking off, there's no stopping.

    Thanks for the tip! I'll be sure to take the cover off once we finally get some warm, settled weather. It's very easy to take off - just undo the straps and it pulls off over the metal frame, and the frame can then collapse into individual tubes.

    Ok I'll keep an eye out for slugs and snails - especially after all this wet weather!

    Thanks for the reassurance about the peppers! Maybe once I've uncovered them and they can get some proper sun they will suddenly take off...!
  • mrtjformanmrtjforman Posts: 331
    yes as soon as you plant something tasty out into a barren garden the slugs will devour it like a treat. I thought I'd never win against slugs and snails but the more you plant, the less of a problem it becomes. Getting rid of rotting wood, leaves and weeds really helps and like george says pick up any slugs and snails and get rid of them. Eventually if you are lucky you won't even notice the bit of damage they do on the outskirts of the garden but with a mini garden it's hard. Hay under the strawberries helps to keep them a bit hidden from crawling insects, then there are lots of products that can be used. slugs love beer so if you place a tupperware container and bury it in the soil so it's level for slugs to fall into and fill it with beer, slugs will go for that instead of plants.

    Some people sprinkle a bit of salt around the bed or use slug pellets from the shop.

    As for ants, not too sure, usually ants are attracted to aphids on the plants, not generally the fruit on the plants. The aphids will do more damage than the ants.


  • mrtjformanmrtjforman Posts: 331
    it's more likely that the slugs are doing the damage and the ants are licking up the juices afterwards. 
  • Shoxt3rShoxt3r Posts: 196
    mrtjforman said:
    yes as soon as you plant something tasty out into a barren garden the slugs will devour it like a treat. I thought I'd never win against slugs and snails but the more you plant, the less of a problem it becomes. Getting rid of rotting wood, leaves and weeds really helps and like george says pick up any slugs and snails and get rid of them. Eventually if you are lucky you won't even notice the bit of damage they do on the outskirts of the garden but with a mini garden it's hard. Hay under the strawberries helps to keep them a bit hidden from crawling insects, then there are lots of products that can be used. slugs love beer so if you place a tupperware container and bury it in the soil so it's level for slugs to fall into and fill it with beer, slugs will go for that instead of plants.

    Some people sprinkle a bit of salt around the bed or use slug pellets from the shop.

    As for ants, not too sure, usually ants are attracted to aphids on the plants, not generally the fruit on the plants. The aphids will do more damage than the ants.


    Great thanks for the tip. Yes there are only a couple of strawberries getting attacked by the slugs but presumably once they really get going I should only lose a few.

    I should have said actually I have got a large amount of hay all around the plants as I remember the tips from last year (using hay to help keep the slugs from the plants). I'll give some cheap beer (not my best Bays or Shepherd Neame though!) a go and see what happens - failing that I'll try salt as I don't want to use slug pellets if I can help it.

    Like you say I think it's the slugs doing the initial damage and then the ants are getting the leftovers.
  • Shoxt3rShoxt3r Posts: 196
    A few strawberries to pick but the pepper plants really are struggling - one has completely died off and the other is getting eaten. We had one small pepper got at and there's no more.


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