Slugs and snails

[Clazbear]

How do we get rid of slugs and snails from our veg garden.
Naturally and Organically of course.
claz

[Annpan]

Ah.. the ultimate question... I think there is a 101 ways to... on it somewhere.

I have found beer traps the best so far.



ETA - http://www.selfsufficientish.com/forum/ ... =29&t=1399

[becks77]

Hedgehogs? or of course chooks!!

[Green Aura]

And ducks.

[Clazbear]

I'd love Chooks (and Dooks), and so would my daughter, but our garden just ain't big enough I don't think, it's only about 20x20 feet. And the patio area is only just big enough for a small rabbit hutch and a garden table.
I don't think it's big enough for a chook house, might be wrong though.

Do Chooks eat veg seedlings?, because the whole of the garden is being turned over to the growing of veg n fruit there will be no grassy areas for them to scratch around in.

[Flo]

Yep chooks eat vegetable seedlings - they like their greens which improve the colour of the yolks I'm told.

[becks77]

Oh yes, they got into our greenhouse last year, no sprouts or calabrese for us last year!!!!
They enjoyed themselves though.

[bantamlady]

I have hens, and I have found that they will eat worms, snails and any other bugs that they find, but the will NOT touch slugs! I think they hate that they slime gets on their beaks! That or they are totally spoiled! They will eat veg seedlings and grass, hence we have no lawn or a blade of grass to be seen anywhere in our garden!

[lazyspice]

We're lucky enough to have hedgehogs who visit the garden regularly but a friend of mine keeps a bucket of salty water outside and pops them in when she sees them - it's a pretty disgusting mixture she ends up with though

[Odsox]

Fresh sea weed does the trick, but you sort of have to live near the sea of course
The salt kills them but doesn't harm the veg and then it all rots down to make wonderful fertilizer and soil conditioner.
Marvellous stuff.

[pumpy]

We are lucky, in that 90% of the slugs in our garden, are attracted to the compost heap, (i've counted anything upto 50 at a time...particularley after a shower). However, ash from an open fire, crushed egg-shells, gravel (or anything with a jagged edge), scattered round your plants may deter the little blighters.

[Marc]

I put on a pair of rubber gloves and go out with a torch after dark. They have come out from their hidy places by then and I collect them up and use the salt water method as previously mentioned.
Not the most pleasant job in the world but I find it very successful.
I've heard that it's not a good idea to give snails to chooks although they love them. Not sure why but I guess one could google it.
Marc

[Annpan]

I have been feeding my new chooks slugs, the first day or so they didn't think much of them but they now guzzle them down - I have only had the girls 5 days but they seem to have decimated the slug population already, mind you it has been dry here for a few days too.

[Urban Ayisha]

chop em in 'alf with yer secateurs!!

[Bobzilla]

I have hens, and I have found that they will eat worms, snails and any other bugs that they find, but the will NOT touch slugs! I think they hate that they slime gets on their beaks! That or they are totally spoiled! They will eat veg seedlings and grass, hence we have no lawn or a blade of grass to be seen anywhere in our garden!

Mine will eat the small ones but if they are anything over a cm they give it a peck and tun a mile.

I feel the no grass in the garden though.