If it is slugs and weather is not too hot and number of plants you have is reasonable, you can use local protection. What you need: 1) 2 litters clear plastic bottles(I use bottles from sparkling water ), one per plant or one per two plants depending on how high you want to grow them undercover. 2) Tulle fabric 3) Large rubber bands Cut the bottom and top from the bottle. You may also cut it in half to make two cylinders instead of one. Cut a piece of tulle enough to cover one end of the cylinder Fix it on the cylinder with rubber band. If you do not have rubber bands you may punch the holes on the edge of the cylinder and sew the tulle to it, or even use hot glue to glue it. Now seed several seeds in the circle that is less that cylinder and install cylinder on top of them, pushing it well in the soil. When seeds germinate, lift cylinder, thin and install cylinder back. Unfortunately, I came up with this idea too late - my cabbage seedling already been damaged. And I only had 2 bottles ready to make 4 cylinders. Those I covered - recovering... The rest - most likely will not survive. Slugs dinner out every day) Do not cover your plants in the very hot weather - it will be even hotter in the cylinder despite opening on top. You can take it off during the day and install back in the evening.

g'day susanne, dunno if i'd suggest you eat them? probably best not to like any vegetable if it is diseased don't eat. be carefull even eating the youngest apparently clean leaves also. do your plants get plenty of sun and ventilation? here ours get full seasonal sun and out in the open for lots of air movement, we may get some powdery mildew towards the end of the plants life which is to be expected as the plant is then at its weekest, then we pull them and tuck them under to compost in the garden. also need good drainage to promote good strong healthy roots. len Here is a link that might be useful: lens garden page

Seeker, If you don't have sheer curtains, you might find some at a thrift store or garage sale. Otherwise, tulle netting can be a good option for keeping pests off crops, depending on the size of the pest. Other than lightweight sheer curtains or tulle netting (available at fabric stores), I can't think of any other sort of covering that would be lightweight enough to substitute for floating row covers. Other than covering the plants, you could try to repel the pests. A garlic spray or a hot pepper spray might work. Sometimes repellent sprays work and sometimes they don't. If you need a simple recipe for a garlic-based or hot pepper-based insect repellent, let us know and somebody or several somebodies will post recipes here for you. For any crops bothered by cabbage loopers and imported cabbage worms, there's an organic spray called Bt for short. It is a form of bacteria that only affects that specific group of insects....in this case, you'd need Bt 'Kurstaki' which targets butterfly and moth larvae. There are other forms of Bt that target other pests, including one that targets Colorado Potato Beetles. I'll link an example of one of the Bt caterpillar killers for you. This product is made by many different manufacturers and sold under many different names so just look for a caterpillar killer that has Bt as the active ingredient. Susan, They are one of our earlier signs of spring, though not the first, but not one I'm happy to see. We have had swallowtails around all week (it seems early, but then everything is early this year) and I always am happy to see them. I think slugs and/or snails could/would attack Swiss Chard but here in the land of red river clay, we don't have no stinkin' slugs.....so obviously I've never seen them on my Swiss Chard. I've never seen a slug anywhere on our property since moving here 13 years ago, so I hope I didn't just jinx my garden by saying that. Dawn Here is a link that might be useful: Example of One Bt 'Kurstaki' Product

Oh, I have a GREAT recipe for you! I grew Swiss chard this year, so I had my own to use for this. I'm hoping that enough will grow back before the frost kills it to make it once more. I think you can use most greens pretty much interchangeably. I even discovered that the enormous greens from my horseradish plant are delicious, especially with white beans and sausages. Mmmm! I love this dish. I made it for Rosh HaShana this year. It's an Iraqi Jewish recipe, and it was in the New York Times food section before RH a few years ago. When our picky picky foodie friends came from Israel for my son's wedding, there was a tiny dab of leftover in the fridge, and they ate it for a snack and decided I was a great cook after all. :-) False Mahshi: Layered Swiss Chard, Beets, Rice and Beef NYT September 23, 2008 Adapted from Esperanza Basson Time: 1 hour, plus 1 hour for soaking rice 1 1/2 cups long-grain jasmine rice 2 pounds rib-eye steak, cut in 1-inch cubes (I used a cheaper cut -- maybe shoulder steak? -- and it was fine.) Salt and coarsely ground black pepper 6 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 large onions, peeled and diced 2 large beets (about 1 pound), peeled, 1 cut into 1/2-inch dice and 1 grated (I like more) 1 pound Swiss chard, leaves left whole and stems cut into 2-inch pieces 8 teaspoons sugar, or as needed 4 tablespoons fresh spearmint leaves 1 teaspoon dried mint 4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely diced Juice of 3 lemons (about 1/2 cup), or as needed. 1. Place rice in a mixing bowl and cover with water. Stir, drain off cloudy water, and repeat until water runs clear. Cover rice with fresh water and let soak for about 1 hour. 2. Season beef with salt and pepper to taste. Place Dutch oven over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil. When oil is shimmering, add beef and saute until well-browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove beef and set aside. Return pan to low heat and add 2 more tablespoons of oil. Add onions and saute until transparent, about 5 minutes. Add diced beets and saute for another 5 minutes. Add two-thirds of the Swiss chard stems and continue cooking until onions are golden, about 5 more minutes. Stir in beef, cover, and remove from heat. 3. Drain rice and return to a bowl. Sprinkle with salt to taste, 5 teaspoons of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1 tablespoon fresh mint and dried mint. Stir to blend, and add garlic, grated beet, remaining oil and juice of 1 lemon. Spread one-third of Swiss chard leaves in Dutch oven, on top of beef mixture. Spoon half of rice mixture on top, and cover with another third of chard leaves. Spread with remaining rice, and top with remaining Swiss chard leaves and stems. 4. In a small bowl, mix 1 1/2 cups water with remaining 3 teaspoons sugar and juice of another lemon. Taste and, if necessary, add more sugar or lemon juice so mixture is both sweet and sour. Pour over Swiss chard and bring to a boil. Cook partially covered until chard begins to wilt, 3 to 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water if pan is very wide and there is little liquid on bottom. Poke handle of a wooden spoon into mixture in three places, making holes to let steam rise through chard. Cover, reduce heat to very low, and cook until rice is tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest for 15 minutes. Just before serving, sprinkle with remaining lemon juice and remaining fresh mint. Yield: 6 to 8 servings. (I think it makes a lot more.)