Defend your plot – the natural way

How organic slug control can help to protect your veg

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The summer weather has finally arrived – and while the sunshine has given our crops a welcome boost, it's also triggered a surge in slug activity. After the driest spring on record, a spell of heat and patchy rain has created perfect conditions for these pests to thrive. Just when your lettuces, cabbages and courgettes are beginning to get going, the telltale signs of slug damage can suddenly appear overnight.

Slugs thrive in damp conditions, but it's the return of warmth after rain that really brings them out. They've been quietly reproducing underground, and now that soil temperatures have risen both adults and freshly hatched juveniles are on the move – and hungry.

Gardeners tend to fall into one of two camps – those who accept a little nibbling as part of nature, and those who go all out to protect their crops. Whichever approach you take, slugs need managing. Left unchecked, they can devastate seedlings and soft young growth in a matter of days.

Slugs have been around for millions of years and aren't going anywhere fast. While we can't eliminate them completely, we can tip the balance in our favour. A consistent approach that focuses on protecting the plants you care about most is the best way to keep damage to a minimum.