Kitchen Garden Forum

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

Hi Geacher

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

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

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.