Make Snails Slink Away

Seven nontoxic ways to keep slugs and snails from running roughshod over your garden.

- LUKE MILLER

You may not see them often, but slugs and snails make their presence known in the garden. Eating up to six times their weight in plant material per night, these mollusks can leave plants looking like Swiss cheese. Although they’re most active in the evening, it is possible to combat the pests any time of day with these simple strategies.

1. Beer Bash

Bury tuna fish cans or plastic yogurt cups in the dirt up to their rims, then crack a beer and fill the containers (the older and more stale the beer, the better). Slugs and snails are attracted to the yeasty aroma, then fall in and drown. Replace the beer as needed.

2. Find an Edge

Add an inch of coarse sand, diatomaceous earth (look for it online or at garden centers), or eggshells in a 3-inch-wide band around plants. In dry weather, the slimy creatures won’t cross over the sharp material to get to their buffet.

3. Ashes to Ashes