What eats salad heads?

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geacher
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In the past I have grown oriental baby leaf mixtures and they get ravished by bugs, probabily flea beetle I think, but know I cover them with fleece and all is ok, so far. I'm now growing salad heads in the garden such as lollo rosso, baby gem and a few others and was wondering if I should cover them as well or just leave them be? I'm also growing swiss chard.

any advice would be much appreciated
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alan refail
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Hi Geacher

Flea beetle will only attack brassicas, such as the first plants you mention. Lettuce will certainly not be affected.
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The Mouse
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Hi, Geacher

I'd be a bit wary of planting out young lettuces without a bit of protection, particularly the baby gem. When I first started growing veg, whole batches of baby lettuces were disappearing from my garden within hours of being planted out. It took me a while to work out that birds were responsible - sparrows to be precise!
I now throw some netting over the plants to begin with; the sparrows only seem to like the young lettuces.
Good luck :D
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Slugs love lettuce and tender young plants, also, as already mentioned, birds - sparrows, wood pigeons etc. love their (your) greens. Slug pellets are a must for anything I sow or plant out in the garden, and net or a tunnel of chicken wire will keep other things off - including cats who tend to use newly turned ground for their toilet.
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