After the worst slug year ever, this timely guide deals with how to "work with" slugs and snails without pesticides.
There's a detailed chapter on "the enemy" and their growing number of varieties (from 27 in 1976 to 43 in 2014, through identifying existing species and invasives coming from overseas. The average UK garden might have 35,000 slugs in it. Then there's snails too.
Interestingly, there's more slugs and snails in 'tidy' gardens and agricultural fields than woodland. Kirby suggests that leaving detritus creates competition for slugs from other insects. Basically, gardening encourages slugs.
Pesticide Metaldehyde was popularised during WW2's Dig for Victory campaign but was outlawed in 2022 because of fears of watercourse contamination.
Ferric phosphate has replaced the blue pellets but have "mixed" results. Anyway, gardeners might want to be more environmental these days and not kill 'pests', says Kirby, who is garden writer Val Bourne's husband.
Hand collection is useful in some circumstances. Then there's beer traps, salt, garlic spray and barrier methods. Slug-proof plants such as fuchsias, salvias, verbena, begonia, calendula, plectranthus and bidens are worth trying. Raised beds and hardened-off plants beat slug-munching.
Enemies such as nematodes, beetles, hedgehogs, shrews, frogs and birds fulfil the maxim 'the enemy's enemy is your friend'.
To encourage these, wild areas are important as habitats. Disturbance is a good way of destroying resilience. As long as there is food and predators for slugs that outnumber the plants you want to eat or maintain as perfect, you have a chance of maintaining a healthy balance in the garden.
I was pleasantly surprised by the breadth of historical references in this book, as well as the variety of solutions that went beyond the 'encourage predators' default.
