Grow Your Own Magazine

I mentioned on an earlier thread that I am taking over half of my elderly neighbours garden, we're both delighted, I get more veggie space and she doesn't have to deal with the dandelions.

Problem is that we have a very old stone wall running between our houses, the snails just love it. I'm going to be doing this garden with a friend of mine that loves snails (!!!???) and hates pellets (which I can understand). Yesterday I planted out a couple of squash and there were over 40 of them around them this morning . Would beer traps be effective/cope with such huge numbers (100 the other morning). I read that nematodes don't work on snails. I hate the thought of putting in all the hard work just to be chomped by the evil ones.

Your friend can't grow veg AND snails. Make her choose, one or the other.

the best way to get them is to go out on a damp evening, and you can pick them off into a bucket of strong salty water. Use beer traps etc for the ones you miss.

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~ What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea ~ Gandhi

You're right Two Sheds, all we would be doing is providing a Snail Buffet otherwise.

If there's a bird table, you could always crunch the shell a bit and leave them for the thrushes

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If it ain't broke, don't fix it and if you ain't going to eat it, don't kill it

Put the snails in a lidded bucket with some tasty leaves (dandelions perhaps) and tell your friend to take them home to her OWN garden!

In some ways the stone wall is a blessing - our plots at the farm are divided by rows of bricks stacked diagonally against each other - it is a haven for slimies which means it is easy to find them when they are hiding! Every so often we go along the bricks moving each one and picking out the slugs and snails. Did it today and I didn't find more than half a dozen of each (plus a few sluggy babies) so the system is definitely working!

(Either that or they've got a notice up at Slimy HQ - "Warning: The Humans Know About The Bricks - Use Alternative Hideouts".)

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