Coffee grounds
Besides kick starting your day, coffee can also help to banish garden slugs and snails (turns out they don’t like the smell!). Save the used grounds from your morning cuppa and sprinkle them around your precious plants – and as a bonus this will also add nutrients to your soil.
Eggshells and seashells
Both are like shards of glass to slugs and snails. Spread them around your plants for a protective barrier.
Beer!
Apparently, slugs are big fans of beer! Create a DIY beer trap by sinking a container (no holes in the bottom, obviously!) into the ground and filling it with beer. Slugs and snails love the smell and will be lured in. Just make sure any pets or small children don’t get to it first!
Diatomaceous earth
Ever heard of diatomaceous earth? It's like a microscopic minefield for slugs and snails because they aren’t a fan of the texture. You’ll need to replace it after any rain.
Herbs!
Garlic, chives, chamomile, sage, rosemary, parsley, thyme are like a first line of defence when it comes to your precious plants. They repel snails and slugs, and a massive bonus is they are lovely to look at and you can eat them as well (the herbs, not the slugs and snails!)
Use your hands
This will be a little more time consuming, but you can also simply pick those slimy intruders off your plants. Be ready to relocate them at least 6 metres away or they’ll be back before you know it.
Mulch
This comes with a few benefits: it helps to retain moisture in your garden soil, your garden beds will look great, and slugs and snails don’t like crawling over this rough terrain! Try gravel, bark, or woodchips.
Don't plant marigolds!
Although marigolds are a great deterrent for some garden pests - slugs and snail are attracted by their scent so if you have a slimy pest problem, best to leave these out of your garden plans!
And if you have a mozzie problem, here are some natural ways to keep them away!