Holy Tomatoes, Batman!
Seeing Red: Dear Stacey, what's an organic way to keep those pesky homeless snails (aka slugs) from destroying my tomato crop? Sincerely, Seeing Red.
Stacey: I suppose it depends on your definition of “organic” but the two methods that seem to work best for me are 1) burying a can or solo cup of beer (could be organic beer) that attracts the slugs, and they drown in pure happiness and 2) using Epsom salts (also known as magnesium sulfate) as a barrier around the base of the plants. This method also helps your tomato plants grow fuller, faster, and stronger. You will likely have to replace the beer and/or the salt every two weeks as both will lose their potency.
Additional methods I use, but am not sure if I can proclaim them to be the be-all-end-all answer: I plant garlic bulbs between and around nearly everything. It does keep most garden pests away. I also let the toads live on: they are natural predators of those nasty sluggers.
Here are some other suggestions that I’ve not tested myself, but hear have great results:
1. Add copper wire, pennies, or copper plant guards - they shock the slugs to death (yowch!)
2. Lay out a few planks for them to hide under, then dispose of them in the morning. The downside with this one is they usually hide after they’ve feasted.
3. Feed them! Sounds backwards, but if you leave out your scraps of their favorite foods (think highly acidic, like citrus), you can capture and dispose of them in the morning.
4. Use a vinegar or coffee-based spray - apparently this is a slug deterrent.
and lastly number:
5. Human hair again. Only this time it works because the slime-balls get caught and strangle themselves in it. Bonus: as hair breaks down, it sort of “feeds” your plants, plus now you can clean out your hair brushes with purpose!
