My mother-in-law has complained about slugs for years, but I've never had a noticable problem until this year. With all our recent rain, I can go out in the garden every morning and find ten or more without even trying (if I pick up a rock I can find ten more).
I once heard Jim Hole say that having slugs means you have a good garden! Lucky me. I guess after amending the soil for several years (I've been in this house for 4 years now), the slugs have finally found me. Healthy soil makes for healthy plants but also healthy slugs.
Anyway, what to do? Here are some options that I am going to try this year:
Spread some more crushed egg shells around the garden - I collect them year-round in a coffee tin under the sink and when it gets full I let the kids go out and toss them around (key spots are strawberries, veggie patch and moist, shade garden). Diatomaceous earth is another option. Both these things will slow the slugs down as they get cut up crawling over something sharp.
Make slug hunting part of my regular routine - they are easy to find in the morning under rocks and soaker hoses. You can either stab 'em, squish 'em or drown them in a pail of salty water. I can't wait till the kids are old enough so I can pay them to do this!
Put down some slug traps baited with beer.
***Slug bait is attractive and very poisonous to dogs and cats. I don't even know if they sell it anymore... I hope not.
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