Published on 12, July, 2020
I’m at war.
I’ve been doing some gardening. My mental health team suggested it last year because, and I quote, “it’s a no stress hobby that will get you outside in the fresh air and it’ll be good for me”. They were right about the fresh air, that can’t be denied. And I was feeling better with no stress until-they came. I am of course referring to the biggest pest in anyone’s garden: snails and slugs!
Crime scene photo #6.
Seemingly overnight snails and slugs have ransacked my garden and are terrorising my flowers and strawberries. I attempted to garden last year, wanted to grow some strawberries as they’re my fav to eat and they’re also healthy. I follow this guide sheet on healthy eating as I’ve got IBS and certain foods, generally the unhealthy ones-set off digestive upset for me.
So I’m trying to do healthy eating to better manage and prevent these issues.
But even with the healthy fresh summer air the stress is mounting up! Despite my best efforts these slugs have launched a devastating attack. Strawberries are at risk, some have been eaten whole or mutilated in severe cowardly attacks. These cowardice slugs dare not strike during the day-they only come out at night when I’m asleep, too afraid to face me honourably during the day.
Don't let this cuteness fool you!
Lol! Ok it's not quite that bad but seriously is there any advice on how to best deal with these little slugs? I don’t want to get any poison pellets as I live on a mountain in a rural area and the birds might eat them, I also despite myself don’t like the idea of hurting the slugs. But I also do get extremely stressed when my strawberries are looking nearly ready for picking and then a day later they’ve been devoured. All my hard work wasted.
It’s annoying but I do like the challenge lol-although it’s embarrassing that I’m being outwitted by a slug! Any thoughts, ideas, suggestions on how to deal with these garden pests are more than welcome...
I use cheep beer, the cheepest I can find. Hair is good, cat, dog and human, I planted out some lettuce seedlings, some I put grit around, some hair and some nothing. The ones with nothing were eaten down to the ground, the one's with grit had been nibbled and the ones with hair had been untouched. I you imagine hair around a sponge and you fingers thats how it effects slug and snails. I often put straw under my strawberries, it helps keep them off the soil and the slugs and snails don't like it very much. If you can keep it dry, bran is supposed to be good, they gorge on it, then it swells and they explode.
Good luck, they eat my geraniums regularly, it's getting to the stage there are hardly any leaves I can use to make cuttings for next year.
Someone also recommended coffee grounds, as the texture makes it hard for the slimies to slime their way over... but I have never tried it. In case you use coffee more often than eggs....
Actually - another thought... The IBS/Anxiety thing is a real f**k*r especially in social situations. The social anxiety is bad enough. But then you have to take into account the IBS. And then you have to take into account the extra anxiety from the IBS etc etc etc etc...
Thank you. Actually, the thing that my wife (I've realized this looks like I'm claiming credit!) has been really successful at with little effort is growing mint. It's fairly useless as a staple food, but it smells nice and you can make tea out of it.
Yup anxiety/IBS ... I'm exactly the same.
I hope your luck stays with you. Would be nice to have that for mine in the end. I've always loved the idea of having a garden with beautiful plants and fruits growing in it. I'm a long way off from that at the moment but it's something fun to work towards.
IBS is an absolutely awful thing to suffer from. I wouldn't wish it on anybody. The effects it can cause are vile and at times it can be really debilitating. The worst is if you accidentally eat something you forgot you can't have then the next few hours or sometimes days you get pain, stomach churning, noise and if you're really unlucky upset stomach which is just-a pain in the rear as you said. I see what you mean about the food diary, it works for some things but not for all and depending on a lot of different things. If I could have just one wish I'd wish the same. I really hate IBS. Having anxiety doesn't help it either, both affects the other which is a terrible combination.
It was luck. I actually went out to take a picture expecting it to look like yours.
I am no expert on the diet, and I am probably lacking so many things but what I can say is that the diary is great BUT the problem is that different things can take different amount of times to take affect so it is VERY hard to analyze (up to 2 days!). Also when an IBS episode starts it can keep going for while regardless of what is subsequently eaten. It's a pain in the ***, really (literally too). If I had a wish to change just one thing about myself - being able to eat what I wanted and not have any knock-on effects (especially sleep) would be the thing I'd wish for.
I’m glad you’re finding your FODMAP helpful so far. I know you what you mean-I was so surprised with how many foods which I originally thought were good for me were actually causing me a lot of grief in the GI department. It’s actually crazy how many you’ve got to be watchful for. If you keep a food journal that can help you figure out what’s right for you? I keep one now and it helps me to keep track of everything I’m eating and what’s causing upset. I hope it continues to improve for you. Sorry to hear you’re facing the same issue with snails/slugs. It’s a real problem lol.
I’m not sure how to upload on PC, I use my phone as I couldn’t see a button or place to upload pics on PC. Glad you worked it out though! Yours is looking lovely. Wish mine looked as good!!!
CCTV and electric fencing-you have no idea how tempting that is lol. I’d have the army in to protect my strawberries if I could but somehow I don’t think they’ll agree it’s making full use of their time and services. Pity.
Seriously though thanks for the tips. I’ll try with the egg shells first and see how that goes, using the beer as a last resort, though chances are my dad would probably drink the beer lol. I might have to defend the cans from him then too. Why can’t gardening just be simple?
To be perfectly honest I’m considering just getting my stuff from the shops. I mean, by the time I’ve bought the eggs, the beer, the new strawberry and gardening tools I probably could have bought several packs of fresh strawberries from the shops-but this is war now and I’ll go out fighting! I’ve considered making a snail/slug friendly patch for them in the garden, sort of meet them halfway in the hopes they’ll settle for that and leave my strawberries alone.
Thanks for the suggestions though I really do appreciate it. I’ll give them a try and hopefully it will put an end to this and maybe, just maybe, one of my strawberries may grow and be picked. ️
worked it out! The upload button isn't very obvious.
lol your post made me right laugh That’s really good effort for giving it a go though, and don’t let the slugs win! You should get little CCTV cameras set up, electric fencing, on call security haha, no seriously…
I’ve seen crushed up eggs shells being used as a barrier as a way to deter slugs. I know birds like to eat slugs, but you could still put a bird tray nearby so the birds eat the food on the tray, keep the slugs away… and hopefully they only eat the bird food and not the slugs. I’ve also have heard of “beer traps”, where there’s cups of beer which slugs are attracted to the smell. Unfortunately it means they drown, but what a way to go.
or failing all that, you can always pop to Tesco and buy a punnet of strawberries lol.
keep at it though, it’s really good that you’re giving it a go and I’m sure one day you’ll be enjoying those strawberries
Ha ha. Lovely. I'm with you on the IBS - I did a FODMAP elimination diet and worked out a load of things that are bad for me. I have not quite got on top of what I can cope with but at least I can now sleep at night without constant churning. I'm also with you on the strawberries. Also a slug/snail problem - I just went out to get a picture and they don't look too bad today, but there have been some strawberry massacres in the past. Hmmm - I don't know how to upload pics from my PC..