Yea, verily, Pippa. I had for a blessing, a cottage in Glorious Devon, and a farmer asked me if I'd like a rescued badger cub. I collected it and it was the size of a kitten. I didn't ask what had happened to the mother, but it's eyes were only JUST opened. Well, I raised up on a diet of baby vitamins, slugs and crushed snails, and it thrived ! But, she was a force of destruction in the veg patch. Every time I sowed a row of peas, broad beans, leeks, WHATEVER, it was dug up by the next morning, like a neat row of bullet craters ! Eventually, I found that by spraying the seeds lightly with paraffin, it deterred her from further excavating. Then one day, I had gone out to an evening of nature talks, and returned to find a VERY angry baby sitter, who accused me of feeding hedgehogs to the badger ! I had found a complete family of hogs in of all places, our hedge ! ! !, and brought them all intact to the children's sandpit to show them. The badger had found them and thought it was a snack left for her, and she had, despite never having seen a hog before, scoffed the bloody lot ! Relations with the neighbours was NEVER the same again, as they were obsessive vegans !.
I find the sporting approach is very often rewarding with snails.
Either a straight, full volley down the garden and over the fence, using the pitch of the greenhouse and the shed as sort of an impromptu rugby goal, and three points for achieving the safety of Colin's back garden....or a quick and easy side kick onto Ron's lawn.
Very much dependant on proximity of said neighbours and, of course, footwear worn....not recommended whilst wearing Converse or other 'fabric' type shoes.
My wife prefers the aforementioned torch and collection in a plastic bag method, but unfairly, she dumps them so far away, they'd never find Colin's garden.
I feel now that, I should put on a black cap for casually slicing worms in two, and the usual killing spree of some bugs or other. It IS a sad world that things have to die for us to live., but there it is. Reality is arbitrary and impersonal.
I try to go by the philosophy that we shouldn't eat anything that we cannot dispatch and prepare ourselves. I learned how to kill, gut and truss a chicken by the time I was 5 years old. I LOVE animals, but some are born to a life of luxury as pets, and some are born to a short life and end up on the plate.
I am not one of the plastic before leather brigade, but I am omnivorous by choice as it keeps excesses in check. I d not think my parsnips quiver with fear whenever I go oop t'lotty, thinking I am gunna slaughter a row of leeks or neeps for culinary pleasure..
can i take this opportuity to bang on about that slug and snail deterrent again , no killing done by me in this garden, i leave all the slugs etc for the wildlife, and still manage to grow brassicas without damage
you are lucky to have newts Phillipa, i also try to move all the crawlies etc when im digging, nothing as exciting as newts im afraid!
I get slugs on my balcony... they made a real meal out of a lovely salad I was growing. Any recommendations on getting rid of them or at least deterring the little blighters?
sorry, im gonna have to do it, i promise im not on comission!, SAS spray, it deters slugs and snails, you will have to google it as the OGC have stopped selling it, ive used it for quite a while now, i find it really good
just re-read the can, it says its a barrier to stop slugs and snails, is made from yucca, and is safe for use around children and pets, i even spray it directly on plants
Posts
Yea, verily, Pippa. I had for a blessing, a cottage in Glorious Devon, and a farmer asked me if I'd like a rescued badger cub. I collected it and it was the size of a kitten. I didn't ask what had happened to the mother, but it's eyes were only JUST opened. Well, I raised up on a diet of baby vitamins, slugs and crushed snails, and it thrived ! But, she was a force of destruction in the veg patch. Every time I sowed a row of peas, broad beans, leeks, WHATEVER, it was dug up by the next morning, like a neat row of bullet craters ! Eventually, I found that by spraying the seeds lightly with paraffin, it deterred her from further excavating. Then one day, I had gone out to an evening of nature talks, and returned to find a VERY angry baby sitter, who accused me of feeding hedgehogs to the badger ! I had found a complete family of hogs in of all places, our hedge ! ! !, and brought them all intact to the children's sandpit to show them. The badger had found them and thought it was a snack left for her, and she had, despite never having seen a hog before, scoffed the bloody lot ! Relations with the neighbours was NEVER the same again, as they were obsessive vegans !.
I find the sporting approach is very often rewarding with snails.
Either a straight, full volley down the garden and over the fence, using the pitch of the greenhouse and the shed as sort of an impromptu rugby goal, and three points for achieving the safety of Colin's back garden....or a quick and easy side kick onto Ron's lawn.
Very much dependant on proximity of said neighbours and, of course, footwear worn....not recommended whilst wearing Converse or other 'fabric' type shoes.
My wife prefers the aforementioned torch and collection in a plastic bag method, but unfairly, she dumps them so far away, they'd never find Colin's garden.
I feel now that, I should put on a black cap for casually slicing worms in two, and the usual killing spree of some bugs or other. It IS a sad world that things have to die for us to live., but there it is. Reality is arbitrary and impersonal.
I try to go by the philosophy that we shouldn't eat anything that we cannot dispatch and prepare ourselves. I learned how to kill, gut and truss a chicken by the time I was 5 years old. I LOVE animals, but some are born to a life of luxury as pets, and some are born to a short life and end up on the plate.
I am not one of the plastic before leather brigade, but I am omnivorous by choice as it keeps excesses in check. I d not think my parsnips quiver with fear whenever I go oop t'lotty, thinking I am gunna slaughter a row of leeks or neeps for culinary pleasure..
Every worm you slice in half becomes an ex worm
Though if it's lucky the head end might survive.
In the sticks near Peterborough
A bit like the old lots of berries foretells a hard winter Philippa
In the sticks near Peterborough
can i take this opportuity to bang on about that slug and snail deterrent again
, no killing done by me in this garden, i leave all the slugs etc for the wildlife, and still manage to grow brassicas without damage 
you are lucky to have newts Phillipa, i also try to move all the crawlies etc when im digging, nothing as exciting as newts im afraid!
I get slugs on my balcony... they made a real meal out of a lovely salad I was growing. Any recommendations on getting rid of them or at least deterring the little blighters?
sorry, im gonna have to do it, i promise im not on comission!
, SAS spray, it deters slugs and snails, you will have to google it as the OGC have stopped selling it, ive used it for quite a while now, i find it really good 
just re-read the can, it says its a barrier to stop slugs and snails, is made from yucca, and is safe for use around children and pets, i even spray it directly on plants
not as bad as when your neighbours catch you talking to a slug!