Slugs in the cold frame

[annie8]

My husband built me a cold frame and it is sitting next to my greenhouse. Pretty standard type - built from left over wood with a glass top. It doesn’t have a base and sits on the ground. Yesterday I discovered lots of slugs had been at my lettuce seedlings which were in pots in a tray with a cover- not sure how they got in. Is there something I could put on the base of the cold frame to stop this?

[Jimmy]

A beer trap
Jimmy

[Jay-ell]

Second beer trap.

Where there's soil there'll be slugs. If they can't get in through the bottom they can climb up the sides and sneak in through cracks.

[bario1]

Slugs can get anywhere - I put an old rug under mine and then filled the frame with a few inches of gravel. They still get in, but only the very very determined ones. I have resorted once or twice to putting down a large gravel tray, filling it with an inch of water, then putting my seed trays on bricks in the water. I really wanted those seedlings to make it, and I’m pretty sure slugs are non-swimmers.

[Bren In Pots]

. I have resorted once or twice to putting down a large gravel tray, filling it with an inch of water, then putting my seed trays on bricks in the water. I really wanted those seedlings to make it, and I’m pretty sure slugs are non-swimmers.

I've done the same thing bario and the only slugs I saw were under the seed trays when I dismantled everything my seedling were fine

[Jungle Jane]

Check the holes at the bottom of the pots,they like it there there’s more moisture near the roots.

[annie8]

I might have a bit of carpet and could take some gravel from the front. Determined wee buggers aren’t they. Can’t work out how they got into a tray that had no holes on the bottom and had a lid. Thanks for all the advice. Will sow some more lettuce I guess. For now have put them on the greenhouse shelves.

[Penellype]

Slugs can make themselves remarkably thin. I have seen quite big ones squeeze out of my hotbin when closed, and I've also had small ones escape from a jar with the top screwed on.

[Lumpy]

How about using copper sheets as I've found that copper tape in a couple of layers works quite well.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/MAGIC-Coppe...=copper+sheets

[annie8]

Watching gardeners world last night. Looks like they use gravel in their cold frames.

[Mark_Riga]

Could there have been some slug eggs in the compost you used?

[Paulie]

Slugs can make themselves remarkably thin. I have seen quite big ones squeeze out of my hotbin when closed, and I've also had small ones escape from a jar with the top screwed on.

Houdini! Or perhaps Eew-dini!

[Jimmy]

Worth looking on youtube for "slugs climbing copper"
Jimmy