Few gardeners are pleased to see signs of slugs in their plot. But is their bad reputation really fair?

There are lots of different species of slug, and not all of them are after your lettuce crop! In general, the larger slugs in your garden do little or no damage to your plants. The Great Grey Slug (also know as the Leopard Slug) is the gardener’s friend, as it eats other slugs!

Some, such as the European Black snail feed on dead and decaying materials, and play an important part in the eco-system by helping the decomposition process and releasing nutrients back into the soil. If you find these slugs in your garden, move them to your compost heap where they will help to break materials down.

A huge amount of CO2 is generated in the production and transport of slug pellets - including those labelled as suitable for ‘environmentally friendly’ gardening. In addition, slug pellets may be harmful to other wildlife and domestic pets unless applied thinly and in strict accordance with the manufacturers’ instructions.

However there are lots of other environmentally friendly methods you can try for slug control– many of which won’t cost you a penny!

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What you can do

• Make your garden a haven for wildlife. Banish pesticides and plant trees or a hedge to encourage birds and other wildlife to visit your garden to help to keep your plot free of slugs, snails and other insect pests
• Many mini-beasts such as ground beetles, rove beetles and centipedes prey on small slugs. Encourage these invertebrates by making a wood pile or a stumpery to provide shady areas for them to live in
• Even the smallest pond or water-feature will attract frogs, toads and birds – all of which will eat large numbers of slugs
• Slugs prefer soft young growth, so try growing more unpalatable plants with tough or spiny leaves, or strong-scented herbs like rosemary
• Seedlings are most vulnerable. Try starting vulnerable plants like lettuce, beans or courgettes off in plugs or small pots instead of sowing direct in the soil so that they are a reasonable size before planting out
• Slugs glide along on a soft, sensitive foot, so they don’t like to cross sharp or irritating surfaces. Surround vulnerable plants with a generous circle of sharp sand, crushed eggshells, wood ash, soot or pine needles right up to the plant stem
• Consider growing vulnerable plants in containers where they can more easily be protected. Top with a layer of one of the slug-repellent materials listed above
• Copper generates a mild electric shock to slugs when it comes into contact with their slime. Apply copper tape to the outside of containers, or why not surround plants with rings of copper tubing
• Put containerised plants on an island with a moat of water round them – slugs can’t get across to the plant
• Make your own slug traps. Cut a plastic drinks bottle in half and sink the base so the rim is just above ground level, pour in a small amount of beer or fruit juice and cover with an upside-down plant pot to stop beneficial ground beetles from falling in
• Cut the other half of your drinks bottle into wide rings and place these around seedlings to keep slugs at bay. A layer of Vaseline smeared around the tops of the ring will make it even more effective!
• On warm, damp evenings, patrol your garden with a torch and remove slugs by hand