SLUGGING IT OUT

Gardeners appear to spend more time and effort on slug control than almost any other pest, except perhaps vine weevil. Not all are as evil as they’re cabbage-painted. Are you trying to rid your garden of the wrong type of slug? Most gardeners imagine every slug is out to demolish their seedlings, let alone every snail, but there is a sizeable number of species which are blameless in their diet, feeding on dead vegetation alone. They’re valuable assets in the compost heap, helping decomposition: even surplus slime encourages a build-up of humus.

SLUG PELLETS, FOR OR AGAINST?

For those who don’t want to use traditional metaldehyde slug pellets, there is a range of organic options. Metaldehyde traces have been found in drinking water. While the blue colouring and added bitter