Beginner Gardening: question about overgrown kale and other greens, 0 by Gymgirl

Gymgirl wrote:
Jim41,
Hey there! I have two raised beds filled with 1/2 of something called "Rose mix for veggie beds" (ordered from Living Earth here in Houston), 1/2 aged horse manure, and topped off with 6" of my own homemade organic compost. My beds have sat filled for the past two months, since pressing activities in my home didn't allow for much gardening. We have stray cats in our yard, so I've had these beds covered with a thick layer of cardboard boxes, to deter "Kitty Litter" use.

I already knew my homemade compost attracted pillbugs and snails (they LOVE decomp), and I'm certain my two beds are fairly teeming with pillbugs and other small insects that love the decomp. I planned on sowing my seeds for turnips, carrots, lettuce, beets, and onions tomorrow. Any advice on how I should proceed to get the pillbugs and slugs on the run before my seedlings start coming up? I have a roll of hardware cloth that I will tack on top of the raised boxes, so the cats can only walk on top of them, and gaze longingly at my wonderful loose soil below them.

P.S. I have discovered Sluggo Plus, which comes highly recommended to kill the pillbugs and slugs. I need to know if I should mix it into the top layer of soil before I sow my seeds, or plant them first then just sprinkly the Sluggo Plus on top of the beds.

Thanks in advance!

Linda ^^

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This message was edited Nov 13, 2009 12:32 PM