[Nufan182]

Hello one and all

I have successfully cleared my second plot, it is all dug over and now carpet free. My wife will be happy when her and my daughter come home. Guess where we will be this Bank Holiday When I went to the plot after work yesterday to dig the last bed I cleared some more polythene and came across no less than 9 Slow Worms. I picked them up and put them in some long grass on the rear boundary of my plot.

I feel awful about clearing away the polythene and would like to keep them around. Does anyone have any ideas that will help me reinstate somewhere nice for them as I don't want to lose them and would like their help keeping all the slugs and other nasties away.

Nufan

[savbo]

Lucky you! We would love to have slow worms on our plot...

Just to cover our backs, should point out that I think one needs a licence to handle slow worms now...

A small log or rubble pile will provide a good home for them, but don't be surprised to find them in the compost heap too.

Also - I would suggest using non-metaldehyde slug pellets, as the slow-worms would be susceptible to the poison

sav

[Nufan182]

Hi savbo,

Thank you for your reply.

Oh crikey, I knew Slow Worms are protected, but was not aware that a licence may be needed to handle them...

Thank you for the advice on the slug pellets, I had not given that any consideration.

When I next see them (fingers crossed) I will ask them to send some friends to your plot

Nufan

[spottymint]

So long as you did not do any of these you are OK,

It is illegal to kill, injure, sell or trade slow worms.

They like somewhere to hide, some old carpet, tucked under a hedge near your plot would provide a sheltered home & they would come out to hunt near your plot.

Moving them should be OK, as you just moved them to prevent injury & not to a new location (IE the woods 3 miles down the road).

[Kleftiwallah]

A piece of galvanised iron (the wavy stuff on barn roofs) is the ideal stuff under which gets nicely warm and it shouldn't blow away.

Cheers,   Tony.

[Aunt Sally]

There is some good information about what slow worms like here:

http://www.jprenvironmental.co.uk/protected_species_profile_slow_worm.htm

http://www.wildaboutgardens.org.uk/wildlife/reptiles/slow-worm.aspx

[salmonking]

A piece of galvanised iron (the wavy stuff on barn roofs) is the ideal stuff under which gets nicely warm and it shouldn't blow away.

Cheers,   Tony.

yep this is the best way to do it.we used to collect them as kids,and used to find lots under this!

[sunshineband]

Slow worms also like living in nice warm compost bins.

They overwinter very happily like this in my brother's garden (where there is still a large population after we saved dozens from certain death 50 years ago when the local prefabs were demolished) and also in my daughter's garden, where she has been lucky enough to inherit a breeding group.

Glad you have them on your plot Nufan. They eat a lot of very small slugs, as well as giving much enjoyment 

[New shoot]

I often lift the lid on the compost bin to find slow worms happily basking on top of the heap    If I want to add to the bin, I gently pick them up and transfer them to a single bin, so I can use the others. 

I only see them on the piece of my plot which is next to the boundary hedge, never on the piece out in the middle of the site.  There is undergrowth, trees and long grass next to the boundary, so they have more places to hide.  I just leave the rough ground to it, so they are undisturbed 

[Ema]

I'm also working in a grass field of an allotment at the moment.

Digging is hard work on my soil and hugely unsatisfying.

I would take up the offer of rotavating! First dig out or spray any docs and nettles.then rotavate, raked the whole lot and pick out the worst of the weeds. Then sow what you want and cover any areas your not using.

There's no such thing as a weed free plot it's a never ending battle and you just have to let your plants take control