How to prevent slugs from ruining your summer garden

Garlic. A helpful tool to naturally deter slugs and stop them from eating your veggies before you do

Slugs can be a nuisance in your garden as they are not afraid to eat your ripening fruits or vegetables -- even before you get to them. Slugs also feed on the leaves of your plants, and excessive feeding can lead to a weak or dying garden.

"Slugs want protection, so they like shady gardens," says horticulturalist, Ben Cullen. "And they want moisture. So your garden is either being over-watered, or you are in a rainy period, and that is when slugs tend to appear."

Humoyun Mehridinov WIKI - Slug

Slugs can feed on the leaves of your plants | Humoyun Mehridinov/Wikimedia Commons

According to Cullen, the best way to control slugs is by interplanting, especially in the vegetable garden where you can have aromatics such as mint, sage, rosemary, and thyme.

"Have a little herb garden in there with the tomatoes and the lettuce, the leafy greens that the slugs are feasting on," Cullens adds. "Garlic too, another strong odor food crop that you can integrate into your vegetable garden that will keep the slugs at bay."

For more on deterring slugs from your garden, watch the video above.

Thumbnail image courtesy: Soph556/Wikimedia Commons