How to Keep Slugs Out of Your Garden

Protect your garden from slugs with natural methods.

If you are tired of sharing your garden with slimy slugs but are hesitant to kill them, there are natural ways to keep them out. Create natural barriers that won't harm the slugs but will send them in search of a tasty meal elsewhere.

Things You'll Need

• Crushed eggshells
• Human hair
• Crushed rock
• Roofing shingles

Instructions

1. Keep slugs out of your garden with a crushed eggshell barrier. Crush the eggshells into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces, and create a 2-inch barrier around the perimeter of your garden. The sharp edges will cause slugs to back away and search elsewhere for food.

2. Create a barrier with decorative crushed rock. Make sure the rocks have sharp edges to deter slugs.

3. Place roofing shingles around the border of your garden. When slugs encounter the rough edges on the shingles, they will turn around.

4. Place a layer of human hair around the edges of the garden. When slugs attempt to cross the barrier of hair, it sticks to the sticky slime on their bodies and deters them from entering. Many hairdressers will be happy to provide you with a supply of hair.

References

• University of Rhode Island: GreenShare Factsheets: Slugs