snails +9 slugs

Cool, moist conditions in the patch can trigger a menacing ambush of slimy visitors,

Snails and slugs can wreak havoc on seedlings, destroying them in one sitting. Larger plants can fall victim, too - you might see leaves skeletonised or with chewed edges. And some damage goes unnoticed until you harvest. Have you ever cut open a cabbage only to discover slugs hiding and feeding in the spaces between the inner leaves? Yuck!

So many leaf chewers take up residence in the patch, so how can you tell if you've got snails and slugs? The most obvious indication is the characteristic silvery trail they make on leaves and the soil. Once you confirm it's them, you'll need to take quick action to reduce further damage.

Protecting your plants is the first step, and seedlings are the most vulnerable. You can keep them secure by covering them individually with upturned plastic pots overnight, when snails and slugs are most active. Just remember to remove the pots in the morning. Or you can make a wall around them using a wide plastic strip cut from a pot and covered in copper tape. Their slime reacts with the copper and is said to give them an electric shock. The wider the copper band the better - larger snails are more resilient and will stretch over narrow bands. Some gardeners use a ring of coffee grounds, crushed eggshells or diatomaceous earth around seedlings, but these aren't as effective.

Next, reduce their numbers. Start with night-time raids, heading into the patch with a torch. Set up beer traps, too - a little amber brew in shallow containers. They can't resist it! During the day, check and collect them where they like to hide - between rocks, inside garden edges and on strappy leafed plants such as agapanthus and spider lilies. Squash them underfoot or feed them to the chooks.

Finally, for longer-term control, remove as many hiding places near your patch as you can - piles of moist plant debris, rocks, low weeds, garden edging, mulch and logs.