Garden warfare

Not round ere!

I get loads of snails in my garage too. I've never understood why, but for whatever reason they seem to be attracted to it.

If I happen to walk along my garden path when it's dark, and especially if there has been a spate of rainy weather, I can guarantee that I will hear repeated crunching sounds. However, the worst I think are slugs, and knowing that they have been inadvertently squished by one's feet.

Paige, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I am certainly not an 'amazing' gardener. My approach to gardening is that after I plant things, it is very much a case of survival of the fittest. If the things I plant survive long enough to form buds and bloom, it's a miracle that tends to result in me behaving like I have never seen flowers before. 

As tempting as the offer of Jammie Dodgers is, I'm afraid I will have to decline the offer of managing your garden. I have enough difficulty managing my own garden, which has regrettably been badly neglected during recent years.

I sincerely hope that you don't end up being captured by those menacing slugs and snails that have invaded your garden. 

I remember reading an article some time ago, which I think had been written by one of the TV gardeners. It stated that grated soap within the vicinity of flowers deters squirrels. The article went on to say that the soap didn't need to be an expensive brand, as the cheapest brand would work just fine.

After reading that article, I was keen to give it a try. Did the bars of soap I had painstakingly grated deter the squirrels? In a word, no. 

Try to encourage as much wildlife as you can who may eat them. Some birds like robins eat the small slugs. Ponds encourage wildlife that eat them too. 

We always put glass jars over ripening strawberries when I was young which stops birds eating them too. Not sure if that would make any difference to slugs and snails. Where I live now woodlice eat strawberries.

I have problems with squirrels and bulbs. One thing that helps is to plant pansies above them, but sometimes need mesh until well rooted. Not guaranteed though.

the thing about Vaseline is that no crawly critters can cross it and it does not not need to be reapplied every time the plant is watered or it rains, which washes away the other remedies, which then need to be reapplied. It will not harm the plant if it does not come into direct contact with it. If the pant is in the ground I make a squat cylindrical around the base and smear that on the in and outer sides. If it's a pot smear around the pot. A 1" thick line of smear should do.

I have left a plant thusly, for a whole season with no slugs or any other crawly things - including ants, who like to set up aphid farms under some leaves. They all get stuck in the Vaseline. 

For me it is all about time and efficiency.

This works on animal food and water dishes too.

How deep did you plant your bulbs? I know grey squirrels can br a nuisance and many peole refer to them as tree rats, we're lucky here we have our small, native red squirrels who arn't as destructive. Maybe next year you could plant your bulbs deeper?

I've got a real problem with snails on my patio and in my garage.

I'm pretty much live and let live as far as I can manage, but I keep treading on snails...

I feel guilty and helpless and just wish there was a way to  exclude them, from the garage particularly, but also areas of the patio where I walk a lot.

Sounds fabulous!  Thanks for the awesome suggestion-this sounds like a fun hobby to start. 

The squirrels near me stole my tulips (several varieties), daffodils, and a couple of others I can't remember, maybe hyacinths? They didn't seem to like crocus or snowdrops. At least I'm hoping the snowdrops come up next year, as the packet said they don't always come up the first year after planting, so I guess I can't blame the squirrels yet. Next time I plant, I'll invest in some mesh too.

I never saw them dig them up, but I know they lived in the roof of the flats nearby, you'd regularly see them scamper up the 3 storeys into the attic. My friend's husband calls them tree rats.

Lol it might come to that-but knowing how clever those little pests are though they'll probably just put leaves across the salt and use them as bridges.

Hi Tree spirit-lol glad this thread has brought you some joy. It's actually made light of the situation which is good and I've found myself laughing about it now rather than feeling stressed. 

I'm sorry your granny did that, and made you and your brother witness that. My Grampy used to be horrible to garden animals, he put form down poisons and once or twice we found dead rabbits. It was horrible and had always stuck in my memory.

That's why despite the annoyance of the snails and slugs demolishing my strawberries-I won't kill them. I'll just protect the strawberries-the slugs etc can stay as they are but the strawberries are out of bounds lol. 

Hello. Thanks for the suggestion-I haven't heard of that one before but it's gone on to my list and is a good plan D if my eggshells and coffee fail to protect the strawberries. 

Lol that thought had actually crossed my mind but I think the greedy so and so's would take the lot for themselves.

Surplus gutterng or electrical capping sufficient to build a moat around the growing area with a layer of salt or anything else that slugs find impassable in it?

There will be a way.

God tells us that we have dominion over the animal kindom, so human versus slugs is definitely winnable.... ;c)

If you do that you'll just get more slugs.

A lot of things work that way, sadly....

Grow more than you can actually pick. Then you and the slugs both have enough

I have tried this. It's good until the salt gets into the soil near the plant.

I smear Vaseline along the paths up to the plant, around the pot etc.  I will sometimes mix in some diatonacious earth with the Vaseline. _only remember that the mixture should not touch the actual plant,  just the pot and along the route the creatures take to get to the plant. reapply after heavy rain.