Slugs, snails and other pests in an urban garden

Is it just me, or are pests harder to deal with in an urban garden?
I have a huge problem with slugs and snails primarily. There are cats all over that come in to my garden and leave their waste, which I hear is food for slugs and snails. I can't get any natural predators in to eat them because there are none around, no matter how inviting my garden is for them.

I also seem to have a problem with aphids and leaf miners every year, though I think that is not an urban problem and could just be a matter of encouraging the right predators. I do have plenty of ladybugs/ladybirds, but they can't seem to keep up.

Then there are the pesky foxes that dig out my beds, and the cats that poop in them. I build chicken wire fences and covers to deal with those, which is a drain on my energy, but a necessary evil in this environment I think.

Anybody have advice? or care to join my rant?
I am in UK by the way, if that makes any difference.

Yeah urban gardens are rough for slugs. No hedgehogs, no ground beetles, nothing to keep them in check. Nematodes are the only thing that's actually worked for me, everything else just slows them down a bit. Worth doing in spring before the population explodes.

Nature abhors a vacuum, so we all have issues based on our ecosystem.

One year when slugs were particularly bad, I put down some damp, flat boards. The slugs would hide under them, so I'd tilt them up and sometimes kill as many as 20 slugs with "percussive maintenance".

A few weeks of that, and the population was reduced by enough that the plants had a fighting chance.

I know of some people who go out with a flashlight after dark and cull them that way. Not my favorite technique, but I've used it and will try it tonight as something ate my baby Marigolds and I would like to exact revenge.

I haven't heard of any technique which doesn't take time and perseverance.

And if a rant will help you feel better - if it isn't the deer, it's the bunnies, and if not the bunnies the squirrels, and if not the squirrels the Robins (North American Robin - not the Brit one.) I even had mice chewing holes in my sweet peppers one year, but mice are easy to bribe with peanut butter, so I managed to permanently discourage them.

Owls are my best friends... they don't help with the deer, but they do with the rest of my list! Apparently New York's rat problem is finally being reduced by a mix of Peregrine Falcons, Owls, and a few other birds of prey - give them nesting spots, and they will happily start families and teach their young to catch rats!

Alas, not many wild birds eat slugs. Some of Hubby's chickens do - they learned how from Khaki Campbell Ducks.

Worth trying a beer trap, or several if the problem is rife. Plenty of info. on the internet, with videos,  and I saw one recommending bread dough slurry as  the attractant. Apparently the pesky critters just love the smell of yeast.  If the sacrifice of the small amount of beer is just too painful, I bet a yeast in water + a little sugar would also work. Old yeast that is slow to work can be gingered up by a dash of lemon juice. I use dried yeast and I know it can lose its potency.
Crushed eggshells surrounding plants is a folk remedy and allegedly doesn't work.  Mucus production overwhelms the gritty texture.
Investigate plants that repel cats and put where they may be accessing the yard?  I've seen a fitting for the top of a fence that rolls and puts cats off balance - this may be worth a look. Or what about an outdoor litter tray complete with roof, although this should be the cat owner's responsibility - brainstorming here. . .
Good hunting - a slug in the spinach is no joke
Edit to add: - found this further down. . .https://permies.com/t/373413/yeast-water-garden

Welcome Noah.
I'm also in an urban garden and the snails and slugs are brutal. Mostly because there are lots of hiding spaces (walls, edging, rocks, blocks).
I do what Jay mentions.... especially the night hunting. Especially the first rainy night after a good dry spell, we'll go out in the dark with headlamps and a bucket of soapy water and pick off as many as we can. We do this maybe two or three times a year and the effects are notable-- I think the big ones we catch are the breeding stock and it makes a difference. Between these forays I may also throw out some cabbage leaves overnight and then pick them up in the morning.

Jay Angler wrote:....damp, flat boards. ... a flashlight after dark....
I haven't heard of any technique which doesn't take time and perseverance. ...

I am also dealing with am invading cat right now. The only real thing I've found has been to be outside and throw things at it-- although the damn thing still comes back! I've tried forks in the soil, leaving my dog's poo around, etc, the cat doesn't care. I try not to leave soft dirt uncovered (put hay or mulch or whatever down) if I can help it. If I really need to, I also cage areas with wire or even a beach chair or anything similar.
The threats vary over time- one year I had a lot of rats, the cat will move on eventually, one year it was very dry and I had birds eat all the leaves off my fall peas, you just never know.
I find aphids and miners vary for me according to precipitation- if there is drought, the aphids are much worse.

I think the urban garden can feel very challenging because the pest damage is so visible -- you don't have acres to look at or lots of other vegetation to distract the pests. Every year I have large grasshoppers that show up, and they can decimate my entire yard if I don't get out there with scissors, for example.  

Snails have been a problem for me.      

Bill Mulliison used to say,  if you have an snail problem you have a lack of ducks problem.

I have tried  assassin snails..   which did seem to work for some time.

https://www.reddit.com/r/AquaticSnails/comments/1le1liv/when_you_buy_assassin_snails_for_pest_snail/


Now, I am looking into nematodes that do snails in .....

https://www.nematodesdirect.co.uk/content/7-introduction-to-nemaslug

I love my ducks;  they are the ultimate slug and snail predator, and they are not destructive amongst the plants like chickens are.  However as I recently learned, they may not be ideal as urban livestock:
https://permies.com/t/371325/Noisy-ducks-waking-neighbours

It can be challenging to get a natural balance (when everyone else is aiming at sterile 'perfection'). However an urban area often has more biodiversity than farmland and foxes; hedgehogs and other wildlife can thrive. Try leaving a gap at the bottom of your fences (if applicable) so that hedgehogs can get through.
Cats are supposed to dislike citrus - if you leave half peels of orange and grapefruit cats will avoid the area at least for a while. Bonus is that slugs love the damp skins to hide out in, so it is an easy way to collect them.
It is possible to come to some sort of a balance with slugs eventually, but I found growing things they don't like was the best bet. Keeping the soil healthy so that the plants grow away well helps. I used to make sure there was plenty of organic litter on the ground as mulch to encourage beetles. They're supposed to be good predators of slugs and slug/snail eggs.

Joao Winckler wrote:Yeah urban gardens are rough for slugs. No hedgehogs, no ground beetles, nothing to keep them in check. Nematodes are the only thing that's actually worked for me, everything else just slows them down a bit. Worth doing in spring before the population explodes.

I have not tried nematodes yet. They have worked great for fungus gnats in the past so i will give them a try next spring. Thank you

Jay Angler wrote:
One year when slugs were particularly bad, I put down some damp, flat boards. The slugs would hide under them, so I'd tilt them up and sometimes kill as many as 20 slugs with "percussive maintenance".

I have not tried this yet either, i will try that ASAP, along side my current attempts. Thank you

Jay Angler wrote:
I know of some people who go out with a flashlight after dark and cull them that way. Not my favorite technique, but I've used it and will try it tonight as something ate my baby Marigolds and I would like to exact revenge.

Going out at night with a flashlight was my main technique last year, but i went out every night for months and there was always more! It felt like it was dominating my life and it never seemed to make a dent in the population. I think your boards technique will be a little easier and less time consuming.
They also destroyed my marigolds this year, at least, something did!

Jay Angler wrote:
And if a rant will help you feel better ...

The rant did make me feel a little better actually, less alone thank you

Jill Dyer wrote:
I bet a yeast in water + a little sugar would also work

This is basically what i am doing now with a little luck, sometimes when paired with manual removal. I use water, yeast, sugar and flour (the flour is supposed to kill them, but it doesn't always work)

Jill Dyer wrote:
Crushed eggshells surrounding plants is a folk remedy and allegedly doesn't work

I can confirm this does not work. I tried this a few years ago and it seemed to work great, i couldn't believe how great it was, then the next year it didn't work at all and it never worked again since, so i think it was just a coincidence the first year. I have seen videos of snails crawling over razor blades, so egg shells was never going to work. At least it was great for the soil though.

Jill Dyer wrote:
I've seen a fitting for the top of a fence that rolls and puts cats off balance

I have also seen this, it looks like a great idea to me and i have a plan to build them as soon as i get the chance. I only have a 4 foot fence on one side though, so first job is to get a 6 foot fence put up, Once my resources permit it.

Jill Dyer wrote:
Edit to add: - found this further down. . .https://permies.com/t/373413/yeast-water-garden

I also found that. I commented on that too Thank you

Tereza Okava wrote:
I am also dealing with am invading cat right now. The only real thing I've found has been to be outside and throw things at it-- although the damn thing still comes back!

This seems to be the best thing for me too They do come back for a while but they eventually seem to learn. For the most part i have the cats under control at the moment, until the new cat on the block turns up, then it will all start again.

Mart Hale wrote:
Bill Mulliison used to say,  if you have an snail problem you have a lack of ducks problem.

My wife has been talking about getting ducks. We don't have much space but we are seriously considering a couple of them. This might seal the deal. Thank you.

Mart Hale wrote:
Now, I am looking into nematodes that do snails in .....

I am also going to try this. You are the second person to say this so it's definitely worth a try. They are relatively cheap too.

G Freden wrote:I love my ducks;  they are the ultimate slug and snail predator, and they are not destructive amongst the plants like chickens are.  However as I recently learned, they may not be ideal as urban livestock:
https://permies.com/t/371325/Noisy-ducks-waking-neighbours

Thank you. I have a loud dog on each side of me and i don't mind, so have never complained. So i think they can get over some quacking

Nancy Reading wrote:
Try leaving a gap at the bottom of your fences (if applicable) so that hedgehogs can get through.

I was worried to do this in case it was more of an invite for cats and foxes. But perhaps i should give it a try. Thank you.

Nancy Reading wrote:
Cats are supposed to dislike citrus

My wife has been throwing lemon peels in the garden regularly, we read that it discourages foxes, which doesn't seem to work. Maybe this is why we have not had many problems with cats recently though. We will keep doing that! And i did notice certain slugs like to gather in them some nights, but only certain species, most of them don't seem interested.

Nancy Reading wrote:
I used to make sure there was plenty of organic litter on the ground as mulch to encourage beetles

I recently started just throwing cut leaves etc on the ground of my beds as part of my attempt to learn no-till. Hopefully this will help. This is the first year i have done it so we will see how it goes. I did notice a few days ago that snails were eating the litter instead of the plants, so it might be a win win! Thank you.

-

Sorry for the long response, i wanted to try to respond to everybody as you have all taken the time to help me out.
Thank you all for your help and moral support! I have been occasionally lurking and thinking about joining this forum for a while now. I'm glad i did! It looks like a great community here. I am looking forward to getting to know you all and getting involved for many years to come
Thank you! <3

Hello,

I would add two things that seem to work better for me this year :

- Never water on the surface. Filling a planting hole with water before planting instead of watering after, buried drip lines and ollas do not attract slugs as much. Above-ground watering on a dry soil in the evening can be a death sentence.
- Slugs seem to be quite disoriented when an orderly garden becomes a urban jungle. The more greenery I have, the less slugs I see and the less damage.

Have a nice evening,
Oliver

Noah Robinson wrote:... Sorry for the long response, i wanted to try to respond to everybody as you have all taken the time to help me out.
Thank you all for your help and moral support! I have been occasionally lurking and thinking about joining this forum for a while now. I'm glad i did! It looks like a great community here. I am looking forward to getting to know you all and getting involved for many years to come :)
Thank you! <3  

I loved your long response - you summarized the key points well, and gave us feedback as to what you've tried and what you're hoping to try.

Welcome the nicest, most helpful, most supportive site on the world wide web. I hope you've found a home here!
(and I agree with the duck idea - duck eggs are awesome for baking. Pets with benefits!)

Oliver Huynh wrote:Hello,

I would add two things that seem to work better for me this year :

- Never water on the surface. Filling a planting hole with water before planting instead of watering after, buried drip lines and ollas do not attract slugs as much. Above-ground watering on a dry soil in the evening can be a death sentence.
- Slugs seem to be quite disoriented when an orderly garden becomes a urban jungle. The more greenery I have, the less slugs I see and the less damage.

Have a nice evening,
Oliver

Thank you. Great ideas for keeping the soil surface dry. I will keep those in mind and do my best to stick to them. At the moment i water in the morning in hopes that it will dry for the day, but it's not always that simple. I have also been thinking about drip lines a lot recently, mostly to take a load off my shoulders, but this is another great reason to go for it. Thank you.
I was wondering about this "jungle" situation. I like to let my garden become overgrown and what most people would consider to be out of control. I read online a lot of people saying that gives snails and slugs a place to hide and they recommend cleaning it up, but i was not convinced as it also gives them more food to eat that is not my food. The jungle also should attract other predators in theory. I will continue to not cut my grass and let everything get out of control
Thank you

Jay Angler wrote:
I loved your long response - you summarized the key points well, and gave us feedback as to what you've tried and what you're hoping to try.

Welcome the nicest, most helpful, most supportive site on the world wide web. I hope you've found a home here!
(and I agree with the duck idea - duck eggs are awesome for baking. Pets with benefits!)

Thank you for the warm welcome <3
I do eat a lot of eggs, chicken usually, so i think i will save a lot of money if i go for it. You are really selling it to me here
Thank you

Noah Robinson wrote:I will continue to not cut my grass and let everything get out of control :)
Thank you

The veggie garden is under strict control ;)
I could not let young foxgloves mix with borage for example.
There are wild parts, but i use them for mulch and not cooking.

Beer hasn't worked as well as I'd hoped.  I have a casserole dish out there that I've put it in a couple of times, but I think I'll try this bread idea and see where it goes.  I also can atest to the idea that ground up eggshells don't detour slugs, even though they serve other functions.  And yeah, going out and doing slug check each night, that was just stressful and demoralizing so I can't do it, been there tried that.