[Mark's Sussex Allotment]

Ive never really had much luck sowing things direct and like to be as organic as possible, therefore not using slug pellets.

I usually start most things off in pots and transplant,  but finding room short and have no greenhouse.

What is generally ok to sow direct, and what is a complete no go?

Or is it ok to sow everything direct, you just need to sow enough of everything and just except that some will be eaten?

Any other advice wouldbe much appreciated.

[surbie100]

It depends what pests you normally have and in what quantities. I don't have a problem with mice, so my peas and beans wouldn't be nibbled by them, but I do have voracious pigeons, curious jackdaws and all the slugs in the county (or so it seems!).

I sowed radishes direct last week in the potato furrows. They are just coming up and so far the slugs haven't found them. 

[mumofstig]

Here is the site sowing and harvesting chart - all the outside sowing are Os 

http://www.allotment-garden.org/vegetable/general/sowing-harvest-vegetable-chart.php

You will lose a lot to slugs- if you don't want to use pellets are you using other things like beer traps?
A stone or  piece of wood that you can lift and find them underneath and get rid of them?

[Mark's Sussex Allotment]

I've used a beer trap and a small plank of scaffolding in the past, but they always seem to decimate my plants....

I'll have another go this year, but it's gets me down

[Beetroot queen]

I hated the idea of slug pellets at first but after loosing 40 cabbage overnight I was banging the door of the local garden centre down to get the pellets off the shelf.

[ConfusedGardener]

I've combined anti-slug measures in the past and successfully warded off attacks. There are slug pellet products on the market that are safe to use when growing organically, and I have found them to be effective. Just how effective I don't know since they were used in combination with other anti-slug measures, including "moats" of sharp sand surrounding either entire beds or individual plants. The sand needs to be topped up from time to time, especially after significant rain. Any slugs trapped inside the sand get poisoned by the pellets.

I also used copper wire (recovered from old transformers, and the thin plastic coat carefully stripped off with a very sharp knife) and copper tape which can be bought for this purpose loosely wound around the stems at the base of plants as a further layer of defense.

On top of this, I go out after dark armed with a torch and a long skewer to pick off any survivors that I come across, especially when it's wet, but I don't think it's necessary if you have enough measures in place.

[al78]

I'm trying a combination of sowing direct and starting things off indoors. Even with the latter I have had seedlings grazed off as soon as I put them outside to harden off, so to be honest, I think the slug threat is going to be similar whichever way you do it. I'm currently trying to discourage slugs by surrounding seedlings with slug-gone wool pellets, beer traps, keeping the beds as clean as possible to reduce slug hiding places, and going out every other night with a torch and a pair of scissors. I'm hoping with all that I can keep any attacks under control. I have seen centipedes and ground beetles scurrying across my allotment beds so there is some hope I am getting a bit of help from the wildlife as well.

[jay001]

nothing at all that I sowed direct last year ever appeared we had a major prob with ground cover and it became a haven for slugs . . .this year with my janes help we have cleared it all and will put seeds in this coming week and will be using copper tape from the 99p shop around our established containers of strawbs etc