08/06/2026
Snails and slugs... every gardener’s favourite villains! 🐌🌱
They can certainly be destructive, stripping young plants overnight and turning prized seedlings into little more than stems. But before declaring war on them, it’s worth asking: are they really the problem, or is your garden ecology out of balance?
In a healthy garden, slugs and snails are part of the food chain. Birds, hedgehogs, frogs, toads, beetles and even some insects all help keep their numbers in check. When those predators are missing, slug populations can explode and the damage becomes far more noticeable.
Rather than reaching straight for pellets, think about creating habitats for wildlife, providing water, leaving some areas a little wild, and increasing plant diversity. The goal isn’t to eliminate slugs completely—it’s to create a garden where nature does the balancing for you.
Of course, some years are worse than others, and a wet spring can make even the healthiest garden feel under siege. But often the presence of lots of slugs isn’t the cause of the problem—it’s a symptom of an ecosystem that’s missing a few key players.
Are slugs destroying your garden, or are they revealing what your garden is lacking? 🤔🐌
NatureFriendlyGarden
