A Few Things You May Not Know About Slugs

Slugs in your garden? Unless it gets too hot and dry for them in the summer, or too cold for them in the winter, you probably have slugs in your garden. And unless you have ample slug predators that are able to keep them in check, you’re probably not happy to have them around.

I am writing to you from slug heaven: the mostly cool wet coastally influenced lowlands of the Pacific Northwest, US. And slugs are an issue here year-a-round. Early in the season, to cope with the slugs—we had paper, molasses, and orange peel traps, and barriers of coffee grounds and toasted and crunched up eggshells. We provided every seedling and young potato plant with collars or caps (made from clear single use beverage bottles). I often came out in the dark of the morning, to hunt slugs as well. It took all of this attention to detail for every seedling that popped up in the morning, to make it until the next morning.

It’s summer now, and I still start most mornings, before first light, hunting slug…