Slugs and snails - also an issue here (Denmark). I found two natural ways to keep the number down: 1) Invite a hedgehog, it will be delighted.. Place a small bowl of water for the the birds and hedgies, and sometimes a little house for the hedgies helps. 2) I tried to place small brances from our large juniperbushes around my kale plants, and as I expected the slugs don't like the smelly and prickely things. And besides that I go out late in the evening with a torch and remove the 2-3 slugs that are still around. :D
Thanks Charles, your simple advice to have a plan but not be too stuck to it and to have plenty of plants in reserve has really upped my game this season
Oh dear. I'm publishing more full videos now than two years ago for example. You could always turn off notifications if you don't want to hear about the shorts, but they're a great way to get information to people who might not find the long form.
How terrible, all this free helpful content and occasionally it's slightly longer between full length videos. Thank you Charles we really appreciate this and all your other content 😊
Thank you Charles - while it's lovely to see your amazing market garden, this is so useful and heartening for those of us who have small veg garden spaces and allotments. My allotment is next to a wood, on a windy slope and surrounded by some neglected plots, so faces lots of the challenges you describe... Please keep encouraging us despite the problems of real life growing!
What a strange garden season here in France too! Jungle tomato trees and a few fruit, and loads of tomatoes in the most unlikely spot: the gravel parking lot! Burgundy snails, huge...and brassica not spewing fruit..Nature was playing jokes with us this year!
Thank you Charles for the encouragement. I somehow seem to be overwhelmed every year in the summer. This year it’s been incredibly hard in Holland. Lots of slugs, lot of rain, tomatoes rotting on my outdoor plants because of the chemtrails, my polytunnel tomatoes seem to be doing fine but because it was so cold they struggle to ripen. It’s been a hard year!
❤ Thank you! I ran outside between watching to peel garlic and pick basil for sourdough flatbread and linguine tonight. It feels amazing to eat fresh from my own gardens! 😊 Herbs took over in many places this summer so I need to pull out a spade and chop them back to find beds again. Hopefully the plants I cut in half will come back in their new homes across the property allowing me space to get more garlic in this autumn. I’ve been using it daily thinking I had plenty, but wow I really am going through it! 😂
As ever, your small garden proves the most reliable guide for me, you answered most of my questions. I'm struggling to keep the ground covered, which is to do with germination problems, so I need to consider my seed medium and strategy. I'm probably just going to get some flowers started now. That said, I'm getting plentiful harvests from my first year of full production in my new garden, which is feeding me and my friends and looks set to continue for the foreseeable! Hatfuls, capfuls, big bushel bagfuls, little heaps under the stairs - Hip hip, Hooray!
Love the small garden videos! ❤ That last tip about saving/keeping back transplants is soooo important for keeping the growing space full and productive!
Hey Charles! It takes a real leader to reach back and help other gardeners by not only joining you in the journey but to point out what missteps to avoid. As an Aussie, I always defer to beetroot. We pickle it and add it to our burgers. Cheers!
I do love the small garden videos, it’s so much more reflective of my garden, I have raised beds though as the ground was poor. But I have a banking dividing my garden from the farmers field , I have never seen so many slugs , I have put beer traps down and they are full every day , also I have large trees so variable amounts of shade , this year the beans were slow initially but now I’m picking all the time and the rain is suiting my leeks , I’m in Cornwall and we’ve had so much rain , grey cloudy skies but humid so it’s the most challenging year but there have been wins , so we have to embrace them and hope next year will be better, but it’s your small garden that gives me the will to carry on , it reminds me I’m not alone.❤️
Yes the challenges are many. But the fruit of the labor is oh so sweet.Already harvesting tomatoes, courgettes as you call them, potatoes, a few peas, and herbs. So looking forward to eggplants, peppers, beans, more potatoes and the endless tomatoes and apples. Th k you for all your insights and advice.
From now on, I'll be interplanting onion and garlic next to anything leafy. I've started using wool to control slugs and snails for strawberries with impressive early results, and tomatoes when more wool gets delivered free. I'll plant more flowers, and on that subject, I watched an excellent presentation explaining why marigolds are not at all as effective as people think, except specific use cases.
The marigolds are doing a great job here, and it depends what is meant by effective! In my garden, they are effective at lifting my spirits, providing ground cover under tall plants, like tomatoes, and generally giving the balance of flowers, compared to leafy plants, which I feel ensures greater health and productivity.
Dear Charles, thank you for the encouraging video. To be flexible seams one of the key attitudes I learned this time 😊 I've gone a bit grazy on Tomatoes this year have about 17 plants planted them everywhere. Some next to the plum tree and other not so suitable places and have earned already over 10 kg. The slugs and snails dont like them as much. On other things I've given up and now try again with something else, thanks to your advice
I really suffered a lot of losses due to the march of the molluscs in my small, sheltered garden veg patch, the greenery sprung up too much shade over the greenhouse. I took the losses on the nose & used my back up plants & planted patio cucumbers, kept a lot of things off the ground & planted my french beans in troughs. Also made use of copper tape to save my speciality sweet peas- one called Daphne Lavender I sowed in honour of my late Mum, Daphne. So chuffed they bloomed & not one mollusc attack! ! My Mum's mantra was "Nature wins....always remember that! " I nearly threw the towel in with my outdoor tomatoes I thought they were no good - then suddenly yesterday they started to turn red - so happy I didn't give up! 2024 been a big learning exercise! Every year is different as a new gardener of 2020. Thank you, Charles, for your inspired videos- they really cheer me up!
Regarding the slugs problem: Sprinkling a fair layer of cinnamon around plants have worked for me. It hasn’t been very rainy lately but if I’m right the rain/wet soil does not interfere with the cinnamon… I do recommend! :)
I’m in an urban setting but still we have a resident possum or raccoon. Which ever it seems to patrol for slugs and snails. This chitter and I have worked out a truce because he/she often dig up new plantings in its hunt. Still I’m grateful to have few snails or large slugs so I just replant and then protect the plants for a while with pieces of chicken wire or wire baskets.
Thank's Mr Dowding for the encouraging. Sometimes after doing a big effort planting the crops, we don't succed. We need this kind of support and guiding for start again with excitement🎉👍🏻
The beginning of the season was miserable this year but now it's not too bad. It's all part of gardening but also a lesson for the future. I appreciate you sharing the failures as well your successes.
Very interesting on the long-stemming. I've found the same thing with my polytunnel tomatoes! Boisterous foliage, small height and with a few plants giving very small fruit (cherry variety). I'm actually going to revert to outdoor tomatoes next year. I got much better outdoor harvests and general plant health from being outdoors in 2023. Thank you for more tips and techniques!
It's been a good year for slugs and snails, and not so great for the gardeners. I don't need to go out early to find the slugs. I find them crawling around the garden and over the cabbage. I've left the cabbages in place as a sacrifice to save other things.
Over winter and now early spring here in NZ I've also had to deal with slugs and snails. Just hoping our summer is dry and we get some relief! I've just had to compost 5 cauli heads...cut into them and some small slugs were lodged inside. I usually have a MUCH stronger stomach but for some reason today I just couldn't bear the thought of them leaving their slime all over my food. Will be taking all your tips Charles and any others I can find!
At this time of year it is definitely important to remind yourself of the successful harvests and not be too deterred by the failures. Fight against the 'burnout' and think about potential abundance. Season is not over yet.
Weather has been reeking havoc here. I'm still learning. What used to be conventional wisdom isn't wisdom at all. Looking forward to transplanting Brussel sprouts and picking more of our Kennebec potatoes, tomatoes, string beans. We had no idea how hard and firm potatoes are supposed to be. Delicious. Thank you for all the encouragement you give us.
Hello I have found putting tsp yeast a tsp sugar and Litre of tepid water mix it all up and put in tubs with a few holes , Put a lid on them and place in your cabbage patch. The following morning you will find full of slugs. I’ve done it for 1 week and caught about 60 slugs , I could not believe how effective this is , please try this method you will be amazed.
No rain for five weeks wow your lucky here in scotland we have had rain nearly everyday this summer and hardly any sunshine tomatoes are still all grean some just have a small blush seed a terrible year still waiting for summer usually can't keep up with corgetts this year the slugs are eating them before they are even ready follage has bean brown all year hopefully next year is better
I agree wooden edges and habitat around beds can increase places to hide. We've used oats in the garden and they have gone for them instead of plants really helped with slug attacks actually grew my first decent broccoli because of this method. ☺️
You may need to buy it as 'box hedge caterpillar killer', because it's been made difficult to get hold of in the UK. Or as Dipel on eBay, a larger quantity, but it stores many years
Wow, what a gorgeous colour on that Agapanthus at the beginning! I will have to look for that one. Really interesting about the tomatoes growing way taller than expected. I also have that happening in my area of Canada. I have had to prop them up in all kinds of ways, lol. Even the strung ones are growing in excess of 3 meters now. My cucumber vines had to be trained along the tops of some of my tomato cages due to the length of the vines. The length of them is hitting the 6 meter mark. I think I will need a fence for them next time. 😅
I live in the Pacific Northwest which of course is a Haven for slugs. I think I've got them licked .This year I put in all raised metal beds and I haven't had a single nibble.
Another banger ! Cheers sir. It was my worst year for slugs personally. They destroyed around 2-300 of my seedlings this spring. It was very very very frustrating, but mistakes were made, I learned a lot.
In North Carolina, USA, I've been struggling with slugs, snails, squash bugs, and powdery mildew. We had 8 weeks with no rain, and during that time there were no problems. Then the excessive rain started and with it came the aforementioned problems. I'm looking forward to planting the autumn plants soon.
Hello Charles, Je confirme cette année est vraiment une année spéciale ! Avec cette pluie que l'on a eu de l'automne jusqu'à tard dans le printemps et cette chaleur qui a mis du temps à venir,nos légumes ont eu du mal à démarrer 👍 Je le vois rien qu'aux courgettes, l'année dernière aux même dates j'avais pratiquement le double de kilogrammes 😲 Et que dire de mes tomates en extérieur,elles ont mis aussi du temps à grandir et une fois qu'elles se sont bien développées,la pluie est venue les contrarier et le mildiou s'était gentiment invité 😡 Ceci dit la chaleur s'est installée depuis et j'ai pu quand récolter une bonne partie et prélever ainsi des graines pour les années futures car c'était des nouvelles variétés 😉 Je suis en Vendée chez mon fils,la belle fille zt mes 2 petites filles pendant 1 semaine 🌞 Bonne semaine Pépé JP de ch'nord de la France 😁
Thanks for a great video! I'm heading out to the garden right now to pinch the suckers off my tomato plants. I discovered this year that despite having slugs in my garden, I hardly have any issues with them. Most of my property is covered with woodchips. However, on a pathway, I suddenly noticed many slugs, particularly Spanish slugs. When I observed them, I found that about 80% had holes around the head region. After some research, I learned that these might be natural nematodes in the soil attacking the slugs. I didn’t kill the slugs, just relocated them. But it made me wonder, as the soil improves thanks to the woodchips, could there be more of these nematodes naturally controlling the slug population? I haven’t had a slug problem this year, unlike my neighbors. Also, I’ve noticed that in untouched forest areas, there doesn’t seem to be an issue with slug overpopulation. Perhaps the natural balance in healthy soil is key?
i had the same with all my caulis , two varietys so your not the only one , i did gat a few broccoli but only just before the moths hatched on them so hope fully i cleared them , just beans and lettuce in there atm till i put out the brassicas next 3 or 4 weeks i think x
lupines are a great sacrificial plant for slugs and snails redirection, i then concentrate slug removal efforts from around the lupines towards the compost station furthest away making sure thats also were I dump the slug favorite garden waste... still lost the artichoke's though😪
Great update Charles. As it is monsoon season here, I'm also having problems with slugs and snails, especially with my Chinese cabbage. I'm lucky enough to have a few toads that come along at night and clear most away :)
On the subject of your long stems on tomatoes, does anyone else have huge trusses on greenhouse varieties. I can't believe how long and full ours are this year! Fab video again Charles 👏
Yes!! I mean I grow outside but we had very hot summer (Hungary); Osu Blue had like 60 cm trusses, also Sweet Cream with looong leaves, growing suckers ON the leaf's stalks 😃
Get ducks! ❤ The ducks will eat slugs and other bugs. You can own ducks, or maybe borrow 😊 if you own ducks, the slugs will be the free Meal you feed them, and if you have female ducks, you also get eggs 🤍
You may use a copper wire it is working like electric fance to them no matter plain copper or this rusty green one's, it is working make surroud square on the ground and the snais won't pass it:-)
I was hit really hard with slugs this year and they seemed to like my broad beans and pea plants, so unfortunately I lost them, however my runner beans seem to be doing well. Couldn’t grow any lettuces, radishes or spring onions again slugs attacked them. I have persevered and planted cucumbers and tomatoes and they are thriving. Just need some more sunshine to help them ripen and I’ve got a couple of cucumbers that are growing. Fingers crossed next year will be better.
I had no snails where I was in Utah, and where I built was far from any neighbors. It’s very dry there. It is not good habitat for snails, but once I started watering and brought in some potted plants, my snail problem started. I know snails came in in the potted plants I was bringing in
Do love your garden updates 💚Definitely had issues with germinating carrots in ground this year. And slug wipe outs in a few carrot areas areas. I’ve been experimenting sowing carrots in gaps/edges everywhere this year so basically succession sowing all year. Same with coriander to eat fresh/dry and store before it quickly bolts. I think I’ve mentioned on a previous vlog of yours that I had one lovely germination of carrots that looking back were sown just after the full moon. The rest of this year tbh has been as and when I have time during sow/transplanting under nets. But…. All the carrots have had poor foliage growth this year compared to other years. Even the ones in buckets. I too have noticed taller than usual fruiting vines/plants. I had put it down to poor light/cloudy conditions but could be other reasons. I’m open to suggestions. I think we had a light below zero temp early August! (And I suspect in July,too). But only in one area of the garden. Could even have been below zero for less than 30 seconds. Where a line of basil was growing amongst the savoy cabbage. Basil folded, blackened and died. Youngish cabbage got blackened edges on the leaves. Nearby late planted (gap-filler) cucumbers went slightly crispy but pulled through. All in a 3meter rectangular area bordered by grass in the middle of the vegetable patch. Like it dropped down from above in a vortex. It was supposed to be 8c that night. Anyway, just thought I’d mention it. Central UK.
Thanks for sharing all this. There's so much to gain from close observation of what's going on and you are good at that. Here on the morning of 17th August, we had a temperature at 1.2 m height of 5.5°C, that is not far off a ground frost, so possibly it was that morning. Here it was natural I reckon!
For slugs, Dr Steiner once advised the following remedy: sprinkle out a 3-in-1,000 dilution of pine-cone seeds. The soluble contents of the seeds (which must presumably be extracted by pressure) should be sprinkled over the beds affected. (Taken from Dr Steiner supplements section in the book of biodynamic lectures). Charles, will you give this a try?
Here I am in GA experiencing the same issues you are in the UK. Except no rain, extreme heat but still with slugs, worms and caterpillars. My cauliflower and broccoli didn't form heads either, and I have lost so many seedlings to heat. Hoping Fall will be better. Do you grow okra in the UK?
That sounds challenging, to say the least! And I cannot grow okra here because it's not hot enough by some considerable margin. Good luck with your fall garden.
Thanks for the very interesting video Charles. I wonder if you can help me with my ant problem? I am overrun with the blooming things this summer, more than is normal in my garden. What harm do they do and what would be your advice for dealing with them? Thank you.
Oh dear, if you have any spare water, that's the only remedy I know. Apart from going drastic with boiling up some chilies and garlic, then watering that on the ground. Red ants do secrete acid which plant roots do not like so this could be worth a try.
I only have the orange slugs. The Spanish slug. They are more drought tollerant, is wat I read. It is really frustrating that even though slugs do not really like fennel, they do eat the tops of a small plants and move on. Or when they encounter an onion, they bite the foliage in two and move on😡.
Is it possible to have bare stems on cantaloupe, watermelon and pumpkin like for tomatoes and cucumbers as at 8:36. I’m growing in raised bed, but under net as I got nothing last year from fruit fly destroying every fruit. Then I can just drop and roll stems in net and not making it go out the net.
Hi Charles, lovely video as always! I’ve got rather a large patch which is close to some large trees, including a large white poplar. In spring and autumn crops grow well, but in summer I really have to water heavily to keep plants going. Im wondering if there are drought resistant crops I can grow during summer time? The kale is doing quite well for instance. Thanks for everything you do!
I'm on the Pacific Northwest and just this week the high mountains got snow, apparently all the way to California. Weird weather? Yes and no. The 'polar vortex's which should remain circling the North Pole is wobbling terribly driving warm air North, cold air south. It's due to the world's climate changing too fast. Right now it's chilly but not cold, but the rains have fallen most of the week. Cucumbers are 'sulking' and the carrots are still growing well. Tomatoes, half of their usual fruit, most still very green. Spring I entice birds in, they tend to enjoy my donations of slugs for breakfast. This managed to keep the slug population down.
Years ago I read not to kill the really big slugs because they have something in their slime trail that inhibits the growth of the small slugs and its the small ones that eat the most as they're growing. How true this is I don't know
I know that if I do not reduce the population of large ones, they eat a lot. Cutting them or removing them reduces damage immensely. I don't believe that theory!
Hi Charles, good to see you’ve had some decent crops despite an unusually wet and cool Spring/Summer. I noticed a lot of your beds have wood in them, don’t you have a problem with wood lice? I’ve found them eating my strawberries in the tunnel where I have wood chip paths. Regards Brian South West Donegal
Thanks Brian and it's less wood than it looks, because any undecomposed wood from the compost I spread, sits on top and underneath it, is pure compost. So it's not like having wood chip on the bed and yes, there are a few woodlice, but not too many. It's a good point, you do not want too much!
Haven't had the strong slug pressure others are facing here in New Hampshire.. What we've been dealing with is an onslaught of striped cucumber beetles and the subsequent bacterial wilt. I haven't been able to get a cucumber to maturity due to their huge numbers.
I noticed you don't use chicken compost. Because there is little availability near you or because you don't see it as very beneficial compared to others? When is a lecture scheduled in Portugal?
This year was absolutely abysmal, no light with overcast dark skies, cold with and north-westerly winds in June and now in August. Tomatoes are here and there but very small... Cucumbers? Well I had only three 3-4cm long each with plants not reaching more than 35-40cm in height. Can't wait for next season in Northern Ireland, it can't be any worse than this...
Slugs you can't do much about but snails...I thought you'd lived in France Charles, collect them, prepare them and cook them in garlic sauce, free food to go with your veg😅
Yes I did Isabelle but the preparation process is long. Where I lived, they kept them with no food for 28 days so that they purged of all their poo. I don't really fancy doing that!
@@CharlesDowding1nodig really? My grandma used to put salt on them then rinse them in about 6 different lots of water before cooking them. It was a day long's job and I can't say all this work is worth it for what they taste. I really enjoyed collected them as a toddler in my plastic bucket, yellow wellies and yellow raincoat on a wet day with the rest of the family. Fond memories.
Hi Charles. Wonderful vid as always. I've had massive problems with the little silver caterpillars: theyve wiped out my broccolli and nearly my kale. I missed what you said in this video, what do you spray to deter them?
Slugs and snails - also an issue here (Denmark). I found two natural ways to keep the number down: 1) Invite a hedgehog, it will be delighted.. Place a small bowl of water for the the birds and hedgies, and sometimes a little house for the hedgies helps. 2) I tried to place small brances from our large juniperbushes around my kale plants, and as I expected the slugs don't like the smelly and prickely things. And besides that I go out late in the evening with a torch and remove the 2-3 slugs that are still around. :D
That is nice Marianne!
I have hedgehogs here 😀
Slugs have been the bane of my life this year
Sorry to hear that Cherie, so many have had problems
Thank you Charles! May you continue to be Blessed with abundance 🌻🌱🐈⬛
Thank you and you
thanks for the tips, in particular:
- tree roots stealing water from your veg
- leaving cucumbers to grow closer to the warmer ground.
Thanks CD. I really appreciate the small garden videos!!
Also it's reassuring seeing you combat these common issues too. Garden looking good 👍
Thank you and I am glad you enjoyed it
Thanks Charles, your simple advice to have a plan but not be too stuck to it and to have plenty of plants in reserve has really upped my game this season
This is great to hear of your success 🙂
Finally a full video. Slugs were terrible this year around. Greetings from Germany!
Oh dear.
I'm publishing more full videos now than two years ago for example. You could always turn off notifications if you don't want to hear about the shorts, but they're a great way to get information to people who might not find the long form.
How terrible, all this free helpful content and occasionally it's slightly longer between full length videos.
Thank you Charles we really appreciate this and all your other content 😊
Great filming! Thank you so much for sharing your experiances.
You are welcome Bea
Thank you Charles - while it's lovely to see your amazing market garden, this is so useful and heartening for those of us who have small veg garden spaces and allotments. My allotment is next to a wood, on a windy slope and surrounded by some neglected plots, so faces lots of the challenges you describe... Please keep encouraging us despite the problems of real life growing!
Cheers Theresa, noted and hang in there ‼️
What a strange garden season here in France too! Jungle tomato trees and a few fruit, and loads of tomatoes in the most unlikely spot: the gravel parking lot! Burgundy snails, huge...and brassica not spewing fruit..Nature was playing jokes with us this year!
I always learn something new with each video... very much appreciated! Blessings on your growing season kind sir!🌻🐛🌿💚🙏💕
Great to hear 🙂
You know what would be super cool on those flower b roll shots? A flower species / variety name. Some are so striking.
I like it, shall see what we can do.
sprinkle sand around small broccoli plants..I learned after 4th planting this year
Thank you Charles for the encouragement. I somehow seem to be overwhelmed every year in the summer. This year it’s been incredibly hard in Holland. Lots of slugs, lot of rain, tomatoes rotting on my outdoor plants because of the chemtrails, my polytunnel tomatoes seem to be doing fine but because it was so cold they struggle to ripen. It’s been a hard year!
Oooh! Sorry to hear that Daisy and can one say that it might only improve?!
❤ Thank you! I ran outside between watching to peel garlic and pick basil for sourdough flatbread and linguine tonight. It feels amazing to eat fresh from my own gardens! 😊 Herbs took over in many places this summer so I need to pull out a spade and chop them back to find beds again. Hopefully the plants I cut in half will come back in their new homes across the property allowing me space to get more garlic in this autumn. I’ve been using it daily thinking I had plenty, but wow I really am going through it! 😂
I'm happy to hear your enthusiasm, Samantha!
Cabbage white flies past the cabbages, right on cue 😅
As ever, your small garden proves the most reliable guide for me, you answered most of my questions. I'm struggling to keep the ground covered, which is to do with germination problems, so I need to consider my seed medium and strategy. I'm probably just going to get some flowers started now. That said, I'm getting plentiful harvests from my first year of full production in my new garden, which is feeding me and my friends and looks set to continue for the foreseeable! Hatfuls, capfuls, big bushel bagfuls, little heaps under the stairs - Hip hip, Hooray!
Love the small garden videos! ❤ That last tip about saving/keeping back transplants is soooo important for keeping the growing space full and productive!
I am glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Hey Charles! It takes a real leader to reach back and help other gardeners by not only joining you in the journey but to point out what missteps to avoid. As an Aussie, I always defer to beetroot. We pickle it and add it to our burgers. Cheers!
Thank you, Craig, that's nice. And you've got me thinking about beetroot, another use for it!
Small garden no dig would be a fantastic book topic
I do love the small garden videos, it’s so much more reflective of my garden, I have raised beds though as the ground was poor. But I have a banking dividing my garden from the farmers field , I have never seen so many slugs , I have put beer traps down and they are full every day , also I have large trees so variable amounts of shade , this year the beans were slow initially but now I’m picking all the time and the rain is suiting my leeks , I’m in Cornwall and we’ve had so much rain , grey cloudy skies but humid so it’s the most challenging year but there have been wins , so we have to embrace them and hope next year will be better, but it’s your small garden that gives me the will to carry on , it reminds me I’m not alone.❤️
Thankyou! And I admire you for growing on in those conditions, and am happy you do, we all need the food and the sanity!
Yes the challenges are many. But the fruit of the labor is oh so sweet.Already harvesting tomatoes, courgettes as you call them, potatoes, a few peas, and herbs. So looking forward to eggplants, peppers, beans, more potatoes and the endless tomatoes and apples. Th k you for all your insights and advice.
Lovely to read this! 💚💚💚
From now on, I'll be interplanting onion and garlic next to anything leafy. I've started using wool to control slugs and snails for strawberries with impressive early results, and tomatoes when more wool gets delivered free. I'll plant more flowers, and on that subject, I watched an excellent presentation explaining why marigolds are not at all as effective as people think, except specific use cases.
The marigolds are doing a great job here, and it depends what is meant by effective! In my garden, they are effective at lifting my spirits, providing ground cover under tall plants, like tomatoes, and generally giving the balance of flowers, compared to leafy plants, which I feel ensures greater health and productivity.
This video was chock-a-block full of great advice! Thank you! 😊😊
Thanks that is nice
Nice to see a true garden with its troubles
Great video. Lots of good advice and it's lovely to see such a positive attitude to gardening. Your small garden is looking very productive. 😊
I am glad you enjoyed it Julie
@@CharlesDowding1nodig Thank you I did.
Dear Charles, thank you for the encouraging video.
To be flexible seams one of the key attitudes I learned this time 😊
I've gone a bit grazy on Tomatoes this year have about 17 plants planted them everywhere. Some next to the plum tree and other not so suitable places and have earned already over 10 kg. The slugs and snails dont like them as much. On other things I've given up and now try again with something else, thanks to your advice
Fascinating. Lots of tomatoes, could be worse 😊
Slugs n snails are savages 😂
I really suffered a lot of losses due to the march of the molluscs in my small, sheltered garden veg patch, the greenery sprung up too much shade over the greenhouse. I took the losses on the nose & used my back up plants & planted patio cucumbers, kept a lot of things off the ground & planted my french beans in troughs. Also made use of copper tape to save my speciality sweet peas- one called Daphne Lavender I sowed in honour of my late Mum, Daphne. So chuffed they bloomed & not one mollusc attack! ! My Mum's mantra was "Nature wins....always remember that! " I nearly threw the towel in with my outdoor tomatoes I thought they were no good - then suddenly yesterday they started to turn red - so happy I didn't give up! 2024 been a big learning exercise! Every year is different as a new gardener of 2020. Thank you, Charles, for your inspired videos- they really cheer me up!
Nice to hear Rachel!! And your mum was right, so if we can cooperate, we win too :)
Regarding the slugs problem: Sprinkling a fair layer of cinnamon around plants have worked for me. It hasn’t been very rainy lately but if I’m right the rain/wet soil does not interfere with the cinnamon… I do recommend! :)
Many thanks
@@CharlesDowding1nodig ❤️☀️🌻👋
💚
I’m in an urban setting but still we have a resident possum or raccoon. Which ever it seems to patrol for slugs and snails. This chitter and I have worked out a truce because he/she often dig up new plantings in its hunt. Still I’m grateful to have few snails or large slugs so I just replant and then protect the plants for a while with pieces of chicken wire or wire baskets.
Great strategy 😊
Thank's Mr Dowding for the encouraging. Sometimes after doing a big effort planting the crops, we don't succed.
We need this kind of support and guiding for start again with excitement🎉👍🏻
I am glad you are encouraged Maria
Good morning from a granny here in Cape Town.
Good morning Brenda
The beginning of the season was miserable this year but now it's not too bad. It's all part of gardening but also a lesson for the future. I appreciate you sharing the failures as well your successes.
Very interesting on the long-stemming. I've found the same thing with my polytunnel tomatoes! Boisterous foliage, small height and with a few plants giving very small fruit (cherry variety).
I'm actually going to revert to outdoor tomatoes next year. I got much better outdoor harvests and general plant health from being outdoors in 2023.
Thank you for more tips and techniques!
Lost my outdoor Sungold tomatoes to blight last week, here in Kent UK. Last year was ok in the same spot.
Frustrating! My potatoes got it finally.
Lots of information! Many thanks, especially about decisions making In adverse conditions.
💚
nice video charles ive got lots of slugs even in the greenhouse this year
😮 oh dear. Water less often Steven, to have dry surfaces at least
Unripe tomatoes can go in your salsa verde with all your tomatillos right before the first frost
👍
Looking forward to seeing you next Sunday on the 1st of September.
I look forward to it 🙂
It's been a good year for slugs and snails, and not so great for the gardeners. I don't need to go out early to find the slugs. I find them crawling around the garden and over the cabbage. I've left the cabbages in place as a sacrifice to save other things.
😮 neat!
Always great videos X
I am glad you enjoyed it John
Beautiful plants and flowers. Great video. Thanks for sharing.
I am glad you enjoyed it
Excellent, sir! Lots of useful information and tips! Many thanks!
I am glad you enjoyed it David
Over winter and now early spring here in NZ I've also had to deal with slugs and snails. Just hoping our summer is dry and we get some relief! I've just had to compost 5 cauli heads...cut into them and some small slugs were lodged inside. I usually have a MUCH stronger stomach but for some reason today I just couldn't bear the thought of them leaving their slime all over my food. Will be taking all your tips Charles and any others I can find!
Best of luck and I am sorry to hear that.
At this time of year it is definitely important to remind yourself of the successful harvests and not be too deterred by the failures. Fight against the 'burnout' and think about potential abundance. Season is not over yet.
Weather has been reeking havoc here. I'm still learning. What used to be conventional wisdom isn't wisdom at all. Looking forward to transplanting Brussel sprouts and picking more of our Kennebec potatoes, tomatoes, string beans. We had no idea how hard and firm potatoes are supposed to be. Delicious. Thank you for all the encouragement you give us.
You mean wreaking havoc, trust me.
😂 brilliant!
Main thing is you're doing pretty well considering the weather!
@@lksf9820 It stinks and sucks.
@@CharlesDowding1nodig I forgot in list. Carmen peppers in buckets. Chard from spring planting.
Thank you. Another great video, very useful info :)
Glad you enjoyed it Lucy
Hello I have found putting tsp yeast a tsp sugar and Litre of tepid water mix it all up and put in tubs with a few holes , Put a lid on them and place in your cabbage patch. The following morning you will find full of slugs. I’ve done it for 1 week and caught about 60 slugs , I could not believe how effective this is , please try this method you will be amazed.
Amazing thanks
I will try this! Thank you
No rain for five weeks wow your lucky here in scotland we have had rain nearly everyday this summer and hardly any sunshine tomatoes are still all grean some just have a small blush seed a terrible year still waiting for summer usually can't keep up with corgetts this year the slugs are eating them before they are even ready follage has bean brown all year hopefully next year is better
That sounds terrible Anne. I hope that autumn is better at least
Garden looking good ❤
Thank you
Nice
I agree wooden edges and habitat around beds can increase places to hide. We've used oats in the garden and they have gone for them instead of plants really helped with slug attacks actually grew my first decent broccoli because of this method. ☺️
nigdzie nie mogę kupić tej pięknej czerwonej sałaty. Bardzo ładnie to wszystko wygląda. Gratuluje
very cool and very wet in central scotland, never ending slugs, using nematodes, hand collection and beer traps... still they come....
@@clairegillies all of the above for me too in South Glasgow😅
And us on the east coast (Dundee)! How can it be too wet and cold but ALSO too hot and dry?!
I do not envy your 2024 weather, hope it improves
Good 😊😊😊😊😊
Thanks 😊
Did anyone catch what Charles says that he sprayed to help keep the caterpillars off his brassica ?much love from soggy ,wet ,cold ,blustery Glasgow 😊
After abit of Googling (and some dodgy spelling!!) I think it might be Bacillus thuringiensis...?
@@jogarrad thankyou so much for that ❤️ I tried googling too what I thought he said but couldn't get the spelling 😅 will try now with your input .
You may need to buy it as 'box hedge caterpillar killer', because it's been made difficult to get hold of in the UK. Or as Dipel on eBay, a larger quantity, but it stores many years
Wow, what a gorgeous colour on that Agapanthus at the beginning! I will have to look for that one.
Really interesting about the tomatoes growing way taller than expected. I also have that happening in my area of Canada. I have had to prop them up in all kinds of ways, lol. Even the strung ones are growing in excess of 3 meters now. My cucumber vines had to be trained along the tops of some of my tomato cages due to the length of the vines. The length of them is hitting the 6 meter mark. I think I will need a fence for them next time. 😅
Thanks for sharing this, it's a concern
I live in the Pacific Northwest which of course is a Haven for slugs. I think I've got them licked .This year I put in all raised metal beds and I haven't had a single nibble.
Congrats!
Another banger ! Cheers sir. It was my worst year for slugs personally. They destroyed around 2-300 of my seedlings this spring. It was very very very frustrating, but mistakes were made, I learned a lot.
Sorry to hear that and go you next time!
In North Carolina, USA, I've been struggling with slugs, snails, squash bugs, and powdery mildew. We had 8 weeks with no rain, and during that time there were no problems. Then the excessive rain started and with it came the aforementioned problems. I'm looking forward to planting the autumn plants soon.
It's fascinating how we need rain, but too much rain, meaning little sunshine, is so bad!
Hello Charles,
Je confirme cette année est vraiment une année spéciale !
Avec cette pluie que l'on a eu de l'automne jusqu'à tard dans le printemps et cette chaleur qui a mis du temps à venir,nos légumes ont eu du mal à démarrer 👍
Je le vois rien qu'aux courgettes, l'année dernière aux même dates j'avais pratiquement le double de kilogrammes 😲
Et que dire de mes tomates en extérieur,elles ont mis aussi du temps à grandir et une fois qu'elles se sont bien développées,la pluie est venue les contrarier et le mildiou s'était gentiment invité 😡
Ceci dit la chaleur s'est installée depuis et j'ai pu quand récolter une bonne partie et prélever ainsi des graines pour les années futures car c'était des nouvelles variétés 😉
Je suis en Vendée chez mon fils,la belle fille zt mes 2 petites filles pendant 1 semaine 🌞
Bonne semaine
Pépé JP de ch'nord de la France 😁
Thanks for writing JP, this is all fascinating, to make the comparisons. You are warmer than here, but that's really the only difference I feel!
Thanks for a great video! I'm heading out to the garden right now to pinch the suckers off my tomato plants. I discovered this year that despite having slugs in my garden, I hardly have any issues with them. Most of my property is covered with woodchips. However, on a pathway, I suddenly noticed many slugs, particularly Spanish slugs. When I observed them, I found that about 80% had holes around the head region. After some research, I learned that these might be natural nematodes in the soil attacking the slugs. I didn’t kill the slugs, just relocated them. But it made me wonder, as the soil improves thanks to the woodchips, could there be more of these nematodes naturally controlling the slug population? I haven’t had a slug problem this year, unlike my neighbors. Also, I’ve noticed that in untouched forest areas, there doesn’t seem to be an issue with slug overpopulation. Perhaps the natural balance in healthy soil is key?
These are great thoughts thanks
i had the same with all my caulis , two varietys so your not the only one , i did gat a few broccoli but only just before the moths hatched on them so hope fully i cleared them , just beans and lettuce in there atm till i put out the brassicas next 3 or 4 weeks i think x
Sorry to hear that, may the beans continue
lupines are a great sacrificial plant for slugs and snails redirection, i then concentrate slug removal efforts from around the lupines towards the compost station furthest away making sure thats also were I dump the slug favorite garden waste... still lost the artichoke's though😪
Great update Charles. As it is monsoon season here, I'm also having problems with slugs and snails, especially with my Chinese cabbage. I'm lucky enough to have a few toads that come along at night and clear most away :)
Hungry toads, useful
On the subject of your long stems on tomatoes, does anyone else have huge trusses on greenhouse varieties. I can't believe how long and full ours are this year! Fab video again Charles 👏
Yes!! I mean I grow outside but we had very hot summer (Hungary); Osu Blue had like 60 cm trusses, also Sweet Cream with looong leaves, growing suckers ON the leaf's stalks 😃
Get ducks! ❤ The ducks will eat slugs and other bugs. You can own ducks, or maybe borrow 😊 if you own ducks, the slugs will be the free Meal you feed them, and if you have female ducks, you also get eggs 🤍
Yes, and getting or borrowing ducks will provide a free meal for all the foxes which are common here.
You may use a copper wire it is working like electric fance to them no matter plain copper or this rusty green one's, it is working make surroud square on the ground and the snais won't pass it:-)
Nice tip!
In SWScotland on the island of Arran we have had continuous rain
I don't know how you manage. Maybe a polytunnel if not too windy.
excelente!
💚
I was hit really hard with slugs this year and they seemed to like my broad beans and pea plants, so unfortunately I lost them, however my runner beans seem to be doing well.
Couldn’t grow any lettuces, radishes or spring onions again slugs attacked them.
I have persevered and planted cucumbers and tomatoes and they are thriving. Just need some more sunshine to help them ripen and I’ve got a couple of cucumbers that are growing.
Fingers crossed next year will be better.
Nice you persevered! Next week looks warm here :)
Great job 👏 👍
Thank you
🙏 Liebe Grüße aus der Eifel
Danke Tara
😂gracias por subtítulos en español
de nada
I had no snails where I was in Utah, and where I built was far from any neighbors. It’s very dry there. It is not good habitat for snails, but once I started watering and brought in some potted plants, my snail problem started. I know snails came in in the potted plants I was bringing in
Thanks for sharing
Beautiful plants and flowers. What is the red flowers shown in the video? It looks like a form of hollyhock?
You mean the Zinnia?
Male trifida Vulcan, so pretty
I have found spraying with compost tea keeps the mildew away.
I sprinkle Cayenne Pepper around each seedling to stop.slug and snail damage. Instant results. (New Zealand)
Thanks for sharing :) makes sense!
Hi, what are those beautiful ruby coloured flowers Charles is standing next to? Hibiscus?
Maybe a type of okra? They are meant to have hibiscus-like flowers 🌺
A malva, Malope triffida Vulcan, sown April
@@CharlesDowding1nodig On my list for next year they go then. Thank you!
Do love your garden updates 💚Definitely had issues with germinating carrots in ground this year. And slug wipe outs in a few carrot areas areas. I’ve been experimenting sowing carrots in gaps/edges everywhere this year so basically succession sowing all year. Same with coriander to eat fresh/dry and store before it quickly bolts. I think I’ve mentioned on a previous vlog of yours that I had one lovely germination of carrots that looking back were sown just after the full moon. The rest of this year tbh has been as and when I have time during sow/transplanting under nets. But…. All the carrots have had poor foliage growth this year compared to other years. Even the ones in buckets.
I too have noticed taller than usual fruiting vines/plants. I had put it down to poor light/cloudy conditions but could be other reasons. I’m open to suggestions.
I think we had a light below zero temp early August! (And I suspect in July,too). But only in one area of the garden. Could even have been below zero for less than 30 seconds. Where a line of basil was growing amongst the savoy cabbage. Basil folded, blackened and died. Youngish cabbage got blackened edges on the leaves. Nearby late planted (gap-filler) cucumbers went slightly crispy but pulled through. All in a 3meter rectangular area bordered by grass in the middle of the vegetable patch. Like it dropped down from above in a vortex. It was supposed to be 8c that night. Anyway, just thought I’d mention it. Central UK.
Thanks for sharing all this. There's so much to gain from close observation of what's going on and you are good at that. Here on the morning of 17th August, we had a temperature at 1.2 m height of 5.5°C, that is not far off a ground frost, so possibly it was that morning. Here it was natural I reckon!
For slugs, Dr Steiner once advised the following remedy: sprinkle out a 3-in-1,000 dilution of pine-cone seeds. The soluble contents of the seeds (which must presumably be extracted by pressure) should be sprinkled over the beds affected. (Taken from Dr Steiner supplements section in the book of biodynamic lectures). Charles, will you give this a try?
If I have time to sort that, maybe!
Here I am in GA experiencing the same issues you are in the UK. Except no rain, extreme heat but still with slugs, worms and caterpillars. My cauliflower and broccoli didn't form heads either, and I have lost so many seedlings to heat. Hoping Fall will be better. Do you grow okra in the UK?
That sounds challenging, to say the least! And I cannot grow okra here because it's not hot enough by some considerable margin. Good luck with your fall garden.
Thanks for the very interesting video Charles. I wonder if you can help me with my ant problem? I am overrun with the blooming things this summer, more than is normal in my garden. What harm do they do and what would be your advice for dealing with them? Thank you.
Oh dear, if you have any spare water, that's the only remedy I know. Apart from going drastic with boiling up some chilies and garlic, then watering that on the ground. Red ants do secrete acid which plant roots do not like so this could be worth a try.
Thanks. Any tips on preventing creepy crawlies inside of apples please?
Codling moth traps www.greengardener.co.uk/product/codling-moth-trap/ in May
@@CharlesDowding1nodig Thank you so much 🙂
I only have the orange slugs. The Spanish slug. They are more drought tollerant, is wat I read. It is really frustrating that even though slugs do not really like fennel, they do eat the tops of a small plants and move on. Or when they encounter an onion, they bite the foliage in two and move on😡.
Yes such a waste!
Is it possible to have bare stems on cantaloupe, watermelon and pumpkin like for tomatoes and cucumbers as at 8:36. I’m growing in raised bed, but under net as I got nothing last year from fruit fly destroying every fruit. Then I can just drop and roll stems in net and not making it go out the net.
In principle, yes! I never tried it though, and it sounds like it's worthwhile for you to have a go
Hi Charles, lovely video as always! I’ve got rather a large patch which is close to some large trees, including a large white poplar. In spring and autumn crops grow well, but in summer I really have to water heavily to keep plants going. Im wondering if there are drought resistant crops I can grow during summer time? The kale is doing quite well for instance.
Thanks for everything you do!
Sounds great except for the trees. Poplar are thirsty.
Chard and beetroot can stand a fair amount of dry soil
I'm on the Pacific Northwest and just this week the high mountains got snow, apparently all the way to California. Weird weather? Yes and no. The 'polar vortex's which should remain circling the North Pole is wobbling terribly driving warm air North, cold air south. It's due to the world's climate changing too fast.
Right now it's chilly but not cold, but the rains have fallen most of the week. Cucumbers are 'sulking' and the carrots are still growing well.
Tomatoes, half of their usual fruit, most still very green.
Spring I entice birds in, they tend to enjoy my donations of slugs for breakfast. This managed to keep the slug population down.
Difficult weather for you, nice results, considering!
Years ago I read not to kill the really big slugs because they have something in their slime trail that inhibits the growth of the small slugs and its the small ones that eat the most as they're growing. How true this is I don't know
I know that if I do not reduce the population of large ones, they eat a lot. Cutting them or removing them reduces damage immensely. I don't believe that theory!
@@CharlesDowding1nodig 🙂 theories come and go. I had to plant my runner beans three times this year because of slug damage
What was the black cherry tomato please? "Awesome Emma" ?
Yes that is it!
Hi Charles, good to see you’ve had some decent crops despite an unusually wet and cool Spring/Summer. I noticed a lot of your beds have wood in them, don’t you have a problem with wood lice? I’ve found them eating my strawberries in the tunnel where I have wood chip paths.
Regards
Brian
South West Donegal
Thanks Brian and it's less wood than it looks, because any undecomposed wood from the compost I spread, sits on top and underneath it, is pure compost. So it's not like having wood chip on the bed and yes, there are a few woodlice, but not too many. It's a good point, you do not want too much!
Haven't had the strong slug pressure others are facing here in New Hampshire.. What we've been dealing with is an onslaught of striped cucumber beetles and the subsequent bacterial wilt. I haven't been able to get a cucumber to maturity due to their huge numbers.
Well, at least no slugs, and I'm glad we do not have that beetle!
I noticed you don't use chicken compost. Because there is little availability near you or because you don't see it as very beneficial compared to others? When is a lecture scheduled in Portugal?
I do occasionally, but there is not much available around here and I don't want manure from battery chickens. Nothing scheduled yet in Portugal.
This year was absolutely abysmal, no light with overcast dark skies, cold with and north-westerly winds in June and now in August. Tomatoes are here and there but very small... Cucumbers? Well I had only three 3-4cm long each with plants not reaching more than 35-40cm in height. Can't wait for next season in Northern Ireland, it can't be any worse than this...
One has to hope for an improvement, so sorry to hear that
Slugs you can't do much about but snails...I thought you'd lived in France Charles, collect them, prepare them and cook them in garlic sauce, free food to go with your veg😅
Yes I did Isabelle but the preparation process is long. Where I lived, they kept them with no food for 28 days so that they purged of all their poo. I don't really fancy doing that!
@@CharlesDowding1nodig really? My grandma used to put salt on them then rinse them in about 6 different lots of water before cooking them. It was a day long's job and I can't say all this work is worth it for what they taste. I really enjoyed collected them as a toddler in my plastic bucket, yellow wellies and yellow raincoat on a wet day with the rest of the family. Fond memories.
Thanks, and that's fascinating, rather contradicting what we were told by French neighbours!
What are the large red flowers beside you? Thx.
Male trifida Vulcan
Pozdrawiam z Polski, ślimaki w tym roku to plaga także u nas..
😮 oh dear
Hi Charles. Wonderful vid as always. I've had massive problems with the little silver caterpillars: theyve wiped out my broccolli and nearly my kale. I missed what you said in this video, what do you spray to deter them?
Bacillus thuringiensis
@@smike9884 appreciated
Gracias!!!
💚