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' guinea pigs and one escaped. Even with neighbours flood-lighting the gardens from their balcony we could not find the dratted animal. All I could hear was snails eating the nasturtiums. I slept fitfully that night. The calling foxes were louder than ever

as the seedlings are not attacked by slugs. Last year this was a real problem, and many of my young vegetable plants were lost to slugs and snails.When sowing seeds outdoors, it's important to prepare the soil well, fork it to a fine tilth and rake it level

. Telltale empty snail shells indicate its presence, highlighting its welcome role in natural pest control. I wish these new offspring a long and rewarding life foraging for pests in my garden.

from slugs and snails) and planted them out when they had a good clump of leaves. I always grow lettuces in a well-drained (and less slug-prone) bed close to my shed, so I can keep an eye on them.I tend to try a few new lettuce varieties each year

hope they've discovered a few more overwintering slugs and snails.Frost will certainly have proved beneficial to my clay soil. Left roughly dug in autumn the frost will have penetrated deeply, helping to break down the clay particles and making the soil

conditions encourage early fruiting, and if planted in hanging baskets, strawberry plants are less likely to be attacked by slugs and snails.Don't forget that cunning blackbirds, with their keen sense of smell, can find their way into greenhouses through open

tiny) garden.The garden isn't perfect and I've a long way to go, but I've documented my success by the variety of garden visitors I've gained since the transformation: blue tits and great tits, bumblebees, butterflies, moths, slugs, snails and leaf

nest – perhaps hers.There has been more than enough fruit for all of us this year, so I’ve been happy to ‘share and share alike’, as we’re taught to do from an early age. I wish I could extend this generosity of spirit to the slugs and snails…

2cm between the top of the compost and the basket's rim. Water in well and leave it to drain before hanging in position.AdamGive your plants a regular once-over for pests such as aphids, and beware of snails, which can sometimes sneak in too

they grew in around 10-15cm (4-6in) apart, with the same distance between each row.Encourage the plants to grow up the supports by gently twining them around the sticks. You may even need to gently tie them to the supports initially so they don't flop over