Can I grow salad veg (not just seeds) in a propagator?

[blodau]

I'm currently germinating seeds in an electric propagator in the shed to go into the garden later.

Last year, virtually everything which went out was either eaten by slugs and snails or drowned in all the rain!

It occurred to me tonight as I watered the seedlings that I might continue to use the propagator as a mini-greenhouse to grow some salad veg throughout the summer.

Any suggestions on what I could grow this way?

Is there something compact and not too tall that wouldn't need much space/depth. Dh helpfully suggested cannabis

Thanks!

[WynkenBlynkenandNod]

Not sure but I don't think lettuce will like it in there as it doesn't like hot conditions much and I think they need to be be uncovered really. I feel your pain with the slugs though, they had a riot in my garden last year.

[taffetacat]

Peppers and chillis would like it to start with. When they get too tall put them somewhere very hot and sunny.

The only other thing I can think of are herbs. Maybe basil or thyme?

Problem with a lot of salad leaves is that if it gets too hot they bolt, ie run to flower and no longer produce leaves.

[blodau]

Thanks - I am determined to wage an organic war on slugs this year - I won't put down pellets, but will be patrolling after dark with a torch and knife to spear them with!

Any other thoughts from anyone? I can grow herbs on our sunny kitchen windowsill although dh moans about the space they take up, and sometimes they do seem to attract tiny flies.

I hadn't realised lettuce needed quite cold conditions. Chillis would be a good idea - I tried those outdoors last year and they failed miserably. I wonder if there's a dwarf variety that wouldn't take up too much space indoors?

[NorbertDentressangle]

DP is currently growing some salady things from seeds at the moment -first time we've tried anything beyond tomatoes.

Radishes are apparently really easy to grow - we have loads in the garden as the DC's planted the entire pack of seeds when DP wasn't supervising closely enough. They seem to be growing well without much intervention.

We also have some salad leaves (from a mixed seed pack IIRC) growing in some lengths of guttering on the patio -easy to move around from sun/shade etc that way. Touch wood they are doing OK too.

Cucumbers and tomato plants seem to be a lot slower so I'm not sure about how they're doing.

All of these were propagated in seed trays under sheets of glass, brought in on frosty nights but are now outside without glass.

[Lexilicious]

I used nematode worms mail ordered from a company called Defenders in Ashford to keep down my slug population when I last grew lettuces. Combined with going out at night with a head torch and an impaling device, it worked well.

Much more info on the defenders website but basically nematodes are a natural parasite which eats the slug eggs. Totally natural and organic.