Unexpected Guest

Tuesday was mostly dull with just a little late afternoon sunshine. It was a cool day and late into the evening the wind became very gusty and it started to rain.

By Wednesday morning we had a covering of the white stuff and the temperature was only just above freezing.

The blossom on our magnolia tree is weighed down with wet snow. This is not going to do the fruit blossom much good either.

Last week when we went on holiday our tomato and pepper seeds had been sown and left under the grow light to germinate. The self watering feature using capillary matting works very well and easily lasts a week if the reservoir is topped up. Some aubergines had already germinated and were left to grow on a little.

Imagine my surprise on our return from Scotland. First impressions were good, all our tomato seeds had germinated and some of our peppers. 

Then I noticed our aubergine seedlings. Exactly where had the leaves disappeared to! Closer inspection looked like slug damage and there were some tell tale slimy trails on the top of the compost.

But where had this slug come from and where was it lurking now? If it was still in hiding were any of our seedlings safe. I took each small tray out in turn carefully inspecting underneath the base and around the edges. No trace of any small slug or snail. I thought it might be possible that it could find a place to hide in the drainage holes in the trays hiding from view by day and munching through our precious seedlings at night. My last thought was to inspect around the edges of the capillary matting and that’s where I found it. 

I was a bit taken aback about its size. I was looking for a tiny slug or snail but this was pretty big and it hadn't grown this size on half a dozen aubergine seedling leaves. I can only think that it must have been in the compost when the seeds were sown. I’m now hoping that our seedlings can be left to grow on without fear of being munched.

Is nowhere safe from slugs and snails?