SLUGS

Hi, its always going to be an ongoing problem with slugs and snails. ive tried those slug traps from the pound shop, you put some beer in them and the slugs drown.

Beer has always worked for me. I put the cheapest I can find in shallow plastic cups all around the plants they seem to like. Good Luck!

Beer works well but is a terrible waste! Milk is supposed to work the same way but I've yet to try it. I also wont use pellets but to be honest don't suffer too much. The susceptable plants like hostas are kept on the raised deck in pots. I have a pond with frogs and presume they keep the population down.

Popeymike is right - get a pond if you haven't got one already - you will then get lots of frogs and they do a terrific job. Hedgehogs are also helpful if you have them in your area - it's worth keeping a gap in a fence to let them in.

You could also try planting plants that are not susceptable to slugs - lavender, rosemary, osteospurmums, Ooo there are lots!

There was a feature in News Of The World last weekend about the slug problem. Apparently they've got a 50 metre homing instinct ! (And I thought it was the neighbours throwing them back!).

There are many things you can buy and at the risk of plugging a couple of sites that I haven't checked out myself, they are endorsed by Matt James.
Hope they're of use :

www.theonlinegardener.com
www.wigglywigglers.co.uk
www.slugrings.co.uk
www.greengardener.co.uk
www.organiccatalog.com

otherwise email Matt James

matt.james@notw.co.uk

Hope this helps, and hope I haven't broke any rules in putting this up, just want to help.

We put bird seed out the type with pellets in - dozens of slugs feed on this over-night the birds pick off the slugs first thing.

For plants you can keep in pots, you can buy copper tape on a roll (from my garden centre) that you stick around the top part of the pot. As long as there is no 'bridge' across, it seems to keep them away from the plant. Coffee grounds around the base of plants in the ground helps a bit, & also if you eat grapefruits or similar, you can place the scooped out halves in the flower bed & they go for them...of course, you've got to deal with them when you collect them!

you can put salt down!!!