The BIGGEST Problem On The Allotment, And It's NOT Slugs...

[@Saladgirl123]

Great video, I enjoyed the unedited rambling, sounds just like the incessant gardening voices in my head! 🤪🤣 Raised beds are definitely the way to go unless you have perfect soil, especially where I am, cos it NEVER bloody stops raining!!!

[@downtoearthwithjim]

My in ground soil is ridiculously heavy clay, and very wet. It's literally mud! And harvests haven't been great in ground lately. Thanks for watching!

[@peterc1927]

Great un-etided Video Jim the raised beds look the part. Some good tips and ideas, so thankyou. Have a blessed harvest in 2025 👍

[@downtoearthwithjim]

Thank you 😊 it was just a quick video. I've been focusing on doing these raised beds bit by bit behind the scenes. I'll do an update before Xmas 😊

[@LauriOrkney]

PERFECT video Jim. Happy Holidays to all. Gardeners are the Best people in the world 🌎 💕

[@downtoearthwithjim]

Happy holidays to you! 🎄

[@leehoeppner1199]

Rambling is good! Like hearing about your mistakes as I feel this is the best for us all to learn. Rats (or mice) have taken a liking to my onions. They are digging each one up and taking a nibble of each!

[@downtoearthwithjim]

I've had the same issues with onions, too. They seem to be going for everything this year! Parsnips mostly gone now!

[@sandrawoodall6545]

Hi Jim good to see you,nice photos off you and you little family, tree looked lovely. I do love coloured lights on a tree so traditional. Hope you manage to sort the rats out it’s a pain in the ass when you try to grow veg and they get eaten by rats and caterpillars. Better luck next time. Loved the long vlog too.😊😊

[@downtoearthwithjim]

I agree! The modern plain lights are boring. Multi coloured is the best! True 70s/80s/90s style! Garland hanging from the ceiling too! The rats have dug all parsnips up. Going to be setting traps up soon

[@SteveC-074]

Great video James, now I know not to worry about the editing side 🙂...I have the number of the pied piper he will sort the rats out 😂.. sprouting broccoli looking good .the raised beds are looking fab, they will drop during the winter months just top up in the spring, looking forward to seeing the veg you grow in them, Steve

[@downtoearthwithjim]

Hi Steve. I plan on adding the top soil late winter/early spring. For now it's just wood chip/ compost, or any other organic materials. Thanks for watching Steve. I'm eagerly anticipating your uploads, 2025 might be your year? 😊 Just hit record and be yourself!

[@SteveC-074]

@@downtoearthwithjim Thanks for the advice James 🙂looking forward to 2025 and get the channel up and running. Steve

[@JaneBolton-w9n]

The rats are a worry doesn’t the council help with eradication. Great video early December for xmas tree 🌲 😊

[@downtoearthwithjim]

Cheers! Nope, the council aren't interested i don't think, as is often the case with most things

[@myrustygarden]

I agree Jim film while the muse is there and don’t if you don’t want to. I have always liked your videos they are true and honest. What I find sad is city councils these days don’t do anything about rodent issues and they should be taking some responsibility. The rats have a humongous tunneling system. Rats got my brassicas last year in the poly 😢. Nope we put our tree up around the 15th. Keep up the great job Jim have a wonderful week, Ali 🥶 -3c 🇨🇦

[@downtoearthwithjim]

Chess Ali! Lots to come next year! 😁 And merry Christmas to you! I'm working behind the scenes mostly right now 🔨 🪚

[@Tashya555]

Hi Jim, enjoy watching your videos. Regarding the mice/rat problem... try placing glue traps in the polytunnel in the places where the rats walk over. You can buy them online and it is an effective and cheap solution. I caught many rats using this method in just a few days last summer. Wish you luck and happy gardening.

[@downtoearthwithjim]

Glue traps are a fantastic idea. Thank you for that suggestion. I was considering snap traps, and diy traps with bait. The poison free bait isn't working

[@marcharian2343]

Great video Jim so absolutely no need to waste precious time on any editing.

[@GeorgeOgbu79]

Rat traps, peanut butter and jam, get a jack Russell, they kill more than the cats, and for a bit of fun, and air gun with some night vision goggles

[@downtoearthwithjim]

Definitely rat traps. Jack Russel, cats, and guns will have to be a pass 😂

[@RichardTaylorgardening]

Ive used a sonic pulse with good effect but I fell on it and broke it im a no kill gardener as it goes down the food chain and ends on your plate as always happy gardening Richardx

[@chilliing]

Just FYI, For slugs, forget using beer in any traps, Just use yeast & sugar mixed in warm water , works amazing

[@jimmyfaulkner5746]

Your just feeding slugs. Watch a few timelapse videos of them . I stopped bothering once I watched how effective they actually are

[@chilliing]

@@jimmyfaulkner5746 everytime I go in polytunnel the traps have caught a good few of them. And when I empty the traps once a wk there's a lot collected 👍👊

[@GARDENER42]

I have a couple of rat bait stations on my plot but the furry problem actually isn't them; it's bloody field voles! The little sods burrow just under the surface, uprooting seedlings & shallow rooted plants & eating my worms! Only thing that seems to put them off is alliums (garlic, onions, leeks). I have rats burrow into the compost bays to keep warm but a few bait blocks on a wire coat hanger soon sees to them.

[@downtoearthwithjim]

It's incredibly frustrating when you work so hard growing veg and they get robbed by a host of different pests!

[@scousepie100]

Love the vids Jim. Can i ask why you are not using the horse manure as much as before please?

[@downtoearthwithjim]

Thank you! Glad you enjoy them 😊 I had suspected aminopyralid in a batch of manure. Wasn't confirmed, but I'm 99% it was. Im careful now and only used some of a batch that's been there over a year and others have used with no issues

[@don5125]

Thank you 😇👍 Take care

[@SylviaCostello-lu1bu]

Hi I spat my coffee everywhere laughing at the wasp story, yer don't blame running been stung twice years apart had eight injections in tummy button yes I'm highly elergic to wasp sting I swell not just stung area the whole body tongue eyes🎉yes legs arms etc tfs sylvi 😂😂

[@amstacey71]

I’ve just taken on an allotment this year and rats have now eaten all the roots vegetables I’d grown which is frustrating as I didn’t even think about this happening

[@downtoearthwithjim]

That's awful! I'm very concerned about rats and root vegetables especially next year as I'm growing much more of them in raised beds. I have a few ideas for traps

[@trevor6661000]

I found that this type of fleece breaks down into small bits naturally due to age/weathering within a year,so it may not be all rats causing problem

[@greenearthqueen]

Raspberries grow well in shade, as do most brassicas.

[@Gotpaintinmyhair]

Wheres your poly from? mine is starting to snap at the hinges, i need to start looking for a new one.

[@downtoearthwithjim]

The large one is by birchtree. 3 x 6m. Gotten almost 5 years out of it. Much better than the out sunny one. The out sunny one is a complete waste of money to be honest and will turn into a kite in a storm

[@Gotpaintinmyhair]

@@downtoearthwithjim cheers for the info. Merry Christmas

[@downtoearthwithjim]

@Gotpaintinmyhair merry Christmas!

[@ThatBritishHomestead]

Ah my weeks been made with a sick baby... nice to just chill out

[@downtoearthwithjim]

It's nice to take a step back for a bit. I hope all is well with the little one! 🙏🏻

[@padraigmulligan2742]

Use Breadsoda and sugar in a bowl or some sort of tray....and say goodbye to your rats. Check it out on line.

[@susiespearing6165]

Tha rat stuff is to add to a steel rat trap .I would not be adding it to attract them .

[@don5125]

I lost 18 tomato plants by blight and all of my so called blight resistant potatoes. I grow ina small garden so it was devastating. Isn’t growing veg fun

[@chilliing]

Fact checked Sillily . What is a synonym for sillily? childish, crazy, frivolous, idiotic, inappropriate, irresponsible, ludicrous, nonsensical, pointless, preposterous, ridiculous, simple, stupid.😂👍

[@MrLaking123]

also use gloves when handling the trap