How do I keep slugs out of my garden?

1. Make a copper slug barrier

A first product to use against slugs in the vegetable garden is copper tape. In fact, it is a question of making a small copper slug barrier to effectively keep these slugs away from the garden.

A fence to protect your garden!

A simple strip of copper around vegetable plants or around your garden containers is enough to get rid of garden slugs.

In addition to repelling slugs, it is also effective against snails and other insects of this same family which like to nibble on vegetables from the vegetable garden, including salad and strawberries.

You can therefore install around your pots, garden containers and vegetable plants a copper tape which will act as a barrier. This is one of the best slug killer products to deter them from climbing and eating your vegetable plants.

Here is an image of what can be done with this type of copper tape in the vegetable garden:

2. Wood chips against slugs

Another way to make a natural slug barrier for the garden and vegetable patch is to use sawdust and wood chips.

1. Simply scatter wood shavings where the slugs pass.
2. Also scatter wood shavings and sawdust around your vegetables to create a barrier.

This trick works less well on rainy days. On the other hand, in dry and sunny weather, wood chips form a real slug barrier!

3. Eggshells against slugs

If you are looking for a natural slug repellent then here is the perfect trick for you, eggshells!

Here is how to use eggshells as a natural slug barrier:

• Collect scales and eggshells and dry them in the sun.
• Crush the eggshells into small pieces (small and bigger pieces).
• Scatter the scales in the garden and around the vegetable plants to make a sort of barrier.

Eggshells are great for repelling slugs that want to eat your salads, strawberries and other garden fruits and vegetables.

4. A slug-proof salad bell

For those who absolutely do not want to see slugs nibbling on their beautiful salad, then the salad bell is the best product to install in their vegetable garden.

As slugs love to eat the young shoots of lettuce and other leafy vegetables in the vegetable garden, it is important to protect them with a cloche.

Homemade salad bell:

You can of course buy real salad bells or even make your own, at home. To do this you can simply use plastic bottles that you simply cut in half.

Protect your salad from slugs with small bells:

5. Make a beer slug trap

Did you know that slugs and snails really like the smell of beer? So why not use beer to get rid of slugs naturally in the garden?

Here’s how to make this beer trap:

1. Take a plastic container with a lid and make holes in the end of the container (just below the lid).
2. Pour some beer into the container and replace the lid.
3. Bury the container in the ground (in the vegetable garden) and leave only the holes and the lid visible on the surface.

The slugs will fall into the trap and swallow the beer which will immobilize and kill them. You can also use beer to get rid of caterpillars by simply spraying the leaves of plants and shrubs with beer.

6. Sand against slugs

Another super simple slug trick to protect your salads and other vegetable plants in the vegetable garden is to make a sand barrier!

Indeed, sand like wood chips help prevent slugs and snails from reaching the vegetable garden and therefore your vegetables. You can also make a barrier (quite high) of sand around the vegetables to keep them away from the garden.

The only problem with this trick is that you have to redo the sand barrier regularly in case of rain and wind. This slug killer is very effective in dry weather only!

7. A natural product against slugs

If you like natural products then Diatomaceous Earth is an effective product to get rid of slugs in the house and in the garden. So you can use this product indoors and outdoors without any problem!

To get rid of slugs in the vegetable garden:

To prevent slugs from munching on your seedlings and garden vegetables, simply sprinkle a barrier of diatomaceous earth around your vegetable plants.

To get rid of slugs in the house:

To prevent slugs from entering and wandering around the house, you can sprinkle this powder where slugs (and other pests) can enter the house. For example at doors and windows.

Diatomaceous earth will not kill slugs, it will act more like a natural repellent

as it is very irritating to slugs and snails.

8. Ash, a natural slug repellent to try

Recovering wood ash from the fireplace or wood stove to naturally repel garden slugs… A funny idea, isn’t it? And yet this thing works really well against slugs.

Make a slug barrier with ashes!

And yes, the wood ash collected in the fireplace or at the fireside is also an excellent trick to repel slugs from the vegetable garden. You have to make a barrier a few centimeters high with this ash to naturally repel slugs.

Slugs hate wood ash because it prevents them from moving forward in addition to drying them out and therefore killing them. On the other hand, it will be necessary to add new ash in case of rain.

9. Make homemade slug killer with garlic

Did you know that garlic can be used as a home remedy for slugs? It’s a really effective trick to protect plants against snails and slugs.

1. Crush and blend 4 very ripe heads of garlic to make a fine puree.
2. Add the garlic puree to 10 to 15 liters of water and spray the homemade repellent on the plants.

You can keep this repellent and spray the plants, flowers and vegetable plants you want to protect against slugs and other pests as needed.

10. Anti-slug plants to keep them away

There are a few effective slug plants to keep slugs and snails away from the garden. Thyme is definitely one of the best repellent plants to plant in your garden to naturally ward off slugs and other pests.

You can of course plant a few thyme plants as a repellent in strategic places in the vegetable garden or even place thyme branches around the plants and vegetables to be protected.

In addition to thyme, here are other repellent plants to plant in the garden:

• Fennel
• Sage
• Absinthe
• Borage
• chervil
• mugwort

11. Volcanic rocks against slugs

Another natural product you can use as a slug repellent is volcanic rock or lava rock if you prefer.

A barrier of lava rocks!

Make a barrier around your vegetable garden with lava rocks to prevent slugs from crossing and eating your vegetable shoots.

As this rock is very abrasive, the slugs will prefer to turn back! I recommend that you use this rock with diatomaceous earth for more effectiveness against these insects!

12. Grandma’s remedy for slugs to avoid!

Before letting you go and try out our many anti-slug tips and tricks, I must warn you against some home remedies that can be found online and which unfortunately do not work!

• Coffee grounds: you can always try this trick, but you will quickly realize that coffee grounds are absolutely useless against slugs. Instead, prefer a sand, ash or mulch barrier.
• Salt: salt dissolves quickly in contact with rain and even damp soil, so there is no need to sprinkle it in the garden. In fact, salt can be sprinkled directly on slugs to kill them!
• Lemon juice: I’ve already heard that lemon juice could keep slugs away… It’s totally false, it doesn’t work at all, having tested it last summer in the garden.