We had a nice little storm with about a fifth of an inch of rain, and air temperatures did not fall below 60F. A quick inspection showed that the slugs have finally shown up (the big snails, usually not a problem, had been filling in for them). I braided my hair to keep it out of my eyes for stoop labor and grabbed my stick (to lean on when bending over) and a basket and hit the beds before too much daylight might chase the little nasties out of sight.
They are easy to find on top of the leaves early in the morning, and you can tell which crops they prefer at the moment and give those an extra going over underneath -- there will always be at least one where your lettuce has sprouted holes.
First I pull a few weeds and line the bottom of the basket with them. Then I start dropping slugs on the weeds. I work up the side of one bed and down the other, weed, slug, weed, slug. Most of the weeds would interest a chicken -- heck, I eat them myself: cleavers, amaranth, dandelion, false dandelion, chickweed. But when dumping slugs into them I intend them for the poultry. This morning I emptied the basket over the fence four times, and while at first the hens were tossing salad left and right, they eventually discovered the protein and are now sated. They'll finish their greens for lunch and dinner.
Sometimes there is a patch of amaranths that demands I kneel on the wet ground to have a go at them. I can put the stick down and kneel on it and not get wet, then use it to haul myself back up.
Later I will go back and move volunteer kale and chard to better spacing, before the clouds begin to break up. If they do. It looks pretty thick up there today.
They are easy to find on top of the leaves early in the morning, and you can tell which crops they prefer at the moment and give those an extra going over underneath -- there will always be at least one where your lettuce has sprouted holes.
First I pull a few weeds and line the bottom of the basket with them. Then I start dropping slugs on the weeds. I work up the side of one bed and down the other, weed, slug, weed, slug. Most of the weeds would interest a chicken -- heck, I eat them myself: cleavers, amaranth, dandelion, false dandelion, chickweed. But when dumping slugs into them I intend them for the poultry. This morning I emptied the basket over the fence four times, and while at first the hens were tossing salad left and right, they eventually discovered the protein and are now sated. They'll finish their greens for lunch and dinner.
Sometimes there is a patch of amaranths that demands I kneel on the wet ground to have a go at them. I can put the stick down and kneel on it and not get wet, then use it to haul myself back up.
Later I will go back and move volunteer kale and chard to better spacing, before the clouds begin to break up. If they do. It looks pretty thick up there today.
As I go along I choose a leaf here or there of the more tattered foliage to bring in for breakfast: today, kale, broccoli, chard, Chinese cabbage, with dandelion and amaranth. The holes don't taste at all bad, snipped up into a pancake batter made up of spelt flower and a goose egg. Very good, in fact.
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Stony Run Farm: Life on One Acre