Sacrificial Lettuce?

[9000Parts]

Not sure if this would even work or if it has even been tried before? Neither of us like Lettuce (it ruins a perfectly good salad!) but I know slugs are more partial to Lettuce than Spuds.

So, what if I planted a ring of sacrificial Lettuce around the Spud Strip? Would this help to protect the potatoes enough to be worth the effort or will they still scoff the spuds too?

I dont want to be using any sort of chemicals in the garden for 3 reasons, new baby, stupid cat (got a clever one too but even he might be vulnerable?) and the desire to be 100% organic. I know this policy will leave me more vulnerable to problems but with 80+m/sq of land I can afford to lose a good percentage of crop without it devastating food stocks.

Been reading about and starting to see things about complimentary planting to help ward off attacks by bugs and disease. Would be a great challenge to yield well over the expected amount just by being smart with what I am doing, hence the idea of sacrificing low value items to protect important stuff.

[Richard Eldritch]

I'd worry it would attract them! Suppose they prefer spuds?

[veggiechicken]

Why bother to grow something you don't like - even if it is as a sacrificial plant.
Grow something you do like eating around your spuds - then, if the slugs don't come you can eat it, or, if the slugs prefer your spuds you still have something to eat.

[KevinM67]

Not directly answering your question ; however I thought I'd pass on a little tip given to me by my neighbouring plotholder.

When planting shallow root crops like sweetcorn, surround it with lettuce seeds. The lettuce being quick growing, acts as a sort of mulch and restricts weeds - which minimises the potential of damage to the crop when hoeing.

You can obviously pick the lettuce for eating as your main crop grows.

[Two_Sheds]

what if I planted a ring of sacrificial Lettuce around the Spud Strip? ... desire to be 100% organic.

so use organic slug pellets. ADVANCED SLUG KILLER 575g

A big tub like that lasts me 2 or 3 years, and I use it on three gardens.

the lettuce will feed the slugs, which will then breed like mad and make more slugs, which will run out of lettuce and start eating other things.

[Bigmallly]

If you don't want to kill the slugs but deter them, there is a product here which sounds pretty good:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vitax-3-5L-N.../dp/B00AFSKZBQ

[arpoet]

Try using spent hops as a slug barrier. I use them all the time round my beans. slugs hate spent hops... and they are FREE!!!!!!!!!!

[Bal]

Try using spent hops as a slug barrier. I use them all the time round my beans. slugs hate spent hops... and they are FREE!!!!!!!!!!

hi arpoet where do you get them from?

[BertieFox]

Sorry if this is hijacking this post a tad, but in a similar vein, does anybody know if there are plants to which greenfly are more partial than anything else? I have a real plague of them this year all over my aubergine and pepper plants (tomatoes more or less clear of them). I have rubbed them off or used a jet of water most days but they keep coming back. Are there plants in anybody's experience which are preferred by green fly to any other, as then they might move to those and leave my peppers and aubergines alone once they are knocked off?

[kathycam]

We've noticed in beds that they go for the outside plants and not the inside, so it may be worth trying. You've nothing to loose, other than the potatoes!

[Two_Sheds]

anybody know if there are plants to which greenfly are more partial than anything else?

some aphids are species specific, eg lupin aphids only feed off lupins

The common greenfly that we all know and loathe, will feed off almost any young sappy plants. A good practice to get into is to not overfeed & overwater your plants, that way they will be tougher and less tasty. They're a special nuisance under glass, where there are fewer predatory insects.

you just need to keep squishing them until the population comes under control