My favourite veg - kale - was hoaching with gastropods and caterpillars in the summer and I just left them, they need food and habitat too. I've been out with a flashlight to pick what looks like the last of the leaves now that it's running to [more delicious] flower and it's still awesome kale. Very few affected leaves (those look to have been abscised anyway). They can have a go at the hostas too, of course one washes the leaves before eating them.
I dont have much of a problem with slugs and snails, but like you Frank I left my brassicas to the catterpillars etc last year, they looked like lace during the summer, but recovered after the catterpillars left
I go around with a meat skewer and a pair of secateurs, I am not spending out on plants or growing seedlings for slugs to eat.
I do try to get the plants to a certain size before planting out, but the ones that are already there get protected.
My cabbages are so well netted nothing got on them, I have already put slug pellets on my newly emerging delphiniums, you only need about 2 or 3 pellets, no need to turn the ground blue!
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
ive just been out in the garden on the hunt as its misty i collected about 50 slugs and snails, lots of baby ones about, i have in the past sprinkled salt on them but felt really guilty and made my OH rinse it off not that would help its situation but i felt better, ive tried beer traps but need to use so much beer for how many i need so they usually go in the green bin where they constantly try to escape, i did have a frog and was very happy and provided it with a little pool and everything but the dog picked it up and it broke it's leg so i put it in a box but it was dead in the morning.
I don't know there is me trying to get everyone to love a slug and we get replies from skewer/carving knife wielding murderers and now suggestion to eat them. I have to love you lot.
Best not eat UK garden slugs, there is an article here, they carry pathogens and parasites that are best not ingested by us:
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My favourite veg - kale - was hoaching with gastropods and caterpillars in the summer and I just left them, they need food and habitat too. I've been out with a flashlight to pick what looks like the last of the leaves now that it's running to [more delicious] flower and it's still awesome kale. Very few affected leaves (those look to have been abscised anyway). They can have a go at the hostas too, of course one washes the leaves before eating them.
Would be interesting to know which slugs do what
Gemma, sorry
Caral, you're my kinda gal.
Keep up the good work.
I go around with a meat skewer and a pair of secateurs, I am not spending out on plants or growing seedlings for slugs to eat.
I do try to get the plants to a certain size before planting out, but the ones that are already there get protected.
My cabbages are so well netted nothing got on them, I have already put slug pellets on my newly emerging delphiniums, you only need about 2 or 3 pellets, no need to turn the ground blue!
ive just been out in the garden on the hunt as its misty i collected about 50 slugs and snails, lots of baby ones about, i have in the past sprinkled salt on them but felt really guilty and made my OH rinse it off not that would help its situation but i felt better, ive tried beer traps but need to use so much beer for how many i need so they usually go in the green bin where they constantly try to escape, i did have a frog and was very happy and provided it with a little pool and everything but the dog picked it up and it broke it's leg so i put it in a box but it was dead in the morning.
Yes it would but I don't seem to be able to stay on the gastropod ID pages for very long before switching tabs to something less unpleasant.
Here's a few (all in Subinfraorder Sigmurethra
Cepaea hortensis White-lipped snail Cepaea nemoralis Brown lipped snail Helix aspersa Comon Garden Snail Arion fasciatus Orange-Banded Arion Arion Flagellus Spanish Stealth slug Arion intermedius Hedgehog Arion Arion silvaticus Silver slug Arion vulgaris Spanish slug Deroceras reticulatum Grey Field slug Limax flavus Yellow slug Limax marginatus Tree slug Limax maximus Leopard slug Testacella scutulum Shelled SlugClipping 9V/0V rails round raised beds does really deter them. This is a friend's friend's setup.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dX7IJBv2jHM
I don't know there is me trying to get everyone to love a slug and we get replies from skewer/carving knife wielding murderers and now suggestion to eat them. I have to love you lot.
Best not eat UK garden slugs, there is an article here, they carry pathogens and parasites that are best not ingested by us:
https://brain-health-neurology.knoji.com/they-are-not-escargot-do-not-eat-garden-slugs/
Even one parasite that can cause meningitis.