Pam Moore writes
On Wed, 04 Jun 2008 21:21:18 GMT, "Tim W"
wrote:


"Robert (Plymouth)" wrote in message
.. .

....Why not sow them in pots of compost and transplant them to ensure they
get going properly?

That's what I did, little peat pots, and after about ten days the tap root
was coming through the bottom and I was going away for a week so I put them
in the beds but they were eaten, presumably by slugs. I thought I would be
good and organic and was relying on a barrier of fire ash only to keep the
slugs off and i think it rained quite heavily last week.

Tim W

I often find that plants grown on at home in pots and transplanted
when big enough are more attractive to slugs & snails than plants sown
directly in the soil. Frustrating, because the former method usually
gets better germination and you get the plants where you want them.
You just have to use whatever protection you can to stop them being
eaten. I'm afraid I resort to slug bait.

Softer plants are more attractive, ie exactly what you get when you
apply warmth, water and food. Anything slug food I grow which I want to
transplant from greenhouse to outside, I start by growing it to fill its
pot (so it's no longer putting on lots of lush growth), and stop feeding
it, then transfer it to a set of shelves outside (where things don't
get bothered by slugs so much) and 'harden it off' outside (still no
food) before finally putting it in the ground.
--
Kay