A slug and an orange

At this time of year, I think about slugs a lot - snails too, but mostly slugs. I’ve experimented with various home-made deterrents over the last few years, but orange halves have been the best by far. 

Copper wire, beer traps and egg shells hold no fear for my slugs. But offer them an orange skin and they will gladly huddle underneath, waiting for me to pick them up and dispose of them.

The idea of using orange rind as a slug trap comes from my granny. To make them, I cut an orange in half, scoop out the flesh, and place each half cut side down by my plants. I check them for slugs morning and evening.

Squash plants on the windowsill

After three years growing vegetables, I still have a lot to learn. I over-watered my squash seeds last week and half of them rotted.

But my peas are growing, my salad leaves are sprouting, and the remaining squash seedlings are on a windowsill waiting to be planted out.

And hopefully, I’ll stay one step ahead of the slugs this year.