One of the biggest challenges of growing in an allotment space is managing pests – from insects like slugs and snails, aphids, and blackfly, to larger animals like birds, squirrels, rodents and foxes. This workshop will discuss different pest management methods that are still environmentally sustainable and work alongside natural predators such as ladybirds, and different barriers and tools that can be added to an allotment setup to help control pests.
It's important to remember that pests are part of the wider allotment ecosystem so we don’t want to completely eradicate them, but instead work out how to manage them in ways that allow plot holders to successfully grow crops whilst still maintaining the biodiversity of the ecosystem. There will also be an opportunity to share experiences and advice, as pest management is an inexact science and the best way to do something often varies from place to place.
