Slugs

[grahamhobbs]

With all the damp weather I've heard many complaints about slugs this year. I know I am tempting fate, but strangely I haven't found it like this, in fact it seems to be getting less of a problem. Now as I don't use slug pellets or anything like that any more I was reflecting on why that might be.
When I took on my current allotment about 12 years ago it was a major problem for a number of years. One year I planted 50 pumpkins out to see all but 5 eaten by slugs. I would regularly go out of a wet night and catch 300 to 400.
I never wanted to use traditional slug pellets, but tried the new 'organic' ones only for them to gobbled up by the mice or rats in one night. I used to use beer traps with modest success, but as I say now I don't use anything.
The plot is basically run on a no-dig basis with 1m wide beds with grass paths in between. The beds are mulched with horse manure or municipal compost each year. I try to keep the paths well mown and because of the mulch there are few weeds, which are not allowed to develop but there are plenty of self-seeded marigolds and nasturtiums.
I try to ensure that things are well-hardened off before they are planted out.
The plot next to mine is totally overgrown.
Is it all a happy throw of the dice or do others have similar experiences with no-dig, well mulched beds?

PS. Can't say the same for the rest of the wildlife, in particular the squirrels. Sorry another aside, with the hosepipe ban I couldn't hose the blackfly off my late broad beans - no problem, although some were well infested within a week or so the ladybirds had cleared them.