How to get rid of slugs in your vegetable patch – an attempt
17/6/2026
Translation: Jessica Johnson-Ferguson
Pictures: Ann-Kathrin Schäfer
There are probably as many remedies against slugs and snails out there than molluscs in your garden. The one that helped me in the end was the philosophical take of a retired snail researcher.
If you’re expecting a straightforward guide on how to get rid of snails and slugs, you’re going to be disappointed. Initially I did set up to do just that: Write up a short how-to guide on how to win the battle against slugs munching away at your fruit and veg. Not an entirely selfless act, I might add, as my vegetable patch is riddled with the slimy critters, despite the snail fence around it. They love my veg and strawberries and are driving me nuts.
But keeping slugs at bay is quite tricky. During the course of my research, however, I came across a few suggestions that might be worth trying out.
Disqualified: beer traps and slug pellets
In my search for a solution, I started off by asking people in my neighbourhood for suggestions. Someone told me that setting up beer traps to drown slugs is counterproductive, because the smell of yeast not only attract slugs, but other pests, too. That person also asked me to let them know if I find a solution.
Someone else pointed out that traditional slug pellets are 100% toxic. Indeed, the metaldehyde they contain causes slugs to die a painful death. In high doses it can even be dangerous to other animals including dogs, cats and hedgehogs. In fact, it’s even a risk for toddlers, so pellets are out of the question for me. Besides, I want the vegetables in my garden to continue to be organic.
Given the choice, I’d rather use organic snail bait like this one.
Biocide and death by freezer
Organic slug bait has a better reputation as it contains iron phosphate, which is even permitted in organic farming. The active ingredient breaks down in the soil and doesn’t pose a risk to other animals. Having said that, it is harmful to the protected Burgundy snail and the leopard slug, which is a great little garden helper. So I decided to scatter the organic bait around my fenced-in garden bed, but didn’t manage to get rid of all the slugs that way. Maybe there were simply too many of them?
This left me with no other option than removing the slugs by hand. But where to put them? Although the slugs outside my vegetable patch aren't my main concern, I don’t want the population to grow there either. And chucking them over the fence would be a bit of an antisocial move. Swiss public broadcaster SRF recently published a piece that said the «most humane method» is to freeze the slugs (article in German). So, I put them in a plastic bag and popped them in the freezer for 48 hours. Two words: never again. I still can’t quite shake the feeling of being a mass murderer.
Snip, snip, I’m going to be sick
Operation death by freezer still hadn’t fully solved my slug problem. But after seeing half-chewed strawberries, I was willing to try the pruning shears method I’d seen a former neighbour apply. Every rainy evening, I’d watch from my balcony as he sliced up the little critters that were occupying his flower bed. I thought I’d do the same, but needed to pluck up the courage first. What can I say. It’s a slimy affair that left me with gunk on my pruning shears and a guilty conscience.
What on earth was I doing? I felt sorry for the animals with the delicate antennas. I remember lovingly feeding baby snails leaves when I was a child. Some of the comments below an article in commuter magazine «20 Minuten» added to my heavy heart by condemning slug slicing as an incredibly cruel act. But the worst one’s probably the salt method that only the roughest kids in the neighbourhood used to use.
Slug fence and slug collars
«Sprinkling salt or coffee grounds is frequently mentioned in forums as a remedy for snails,» reads the German-language Pro Natura website. «Neither of them are effective against slugs nor good for the environment.» Instead, the Swiss conservation association recommends placing slug fences or collars around the plants most at risk. I already have a metal slug fence and feel putting a plastic ring around every seedling seems like a bit of a hassle.
«Make sure that no parts of the plants are hanging over the fence to avoid them serving as a slug bridge,» Pro Natura adds. The fence must be driven deep enough into the ground so that there are no gaps. «Once you’ve removed all the slugs (and any that have just hatched) from the enclosure, your vegetables will be safe from slugs.» Well, good luck finding all the slugs and their eggs. It’s not that easy. However, these days, I’m quite good about thoroughly mowing the grass around the edges of the patch. This helps me find them. Equipped with a grass trimmer, I can cut the grass right up to the fence.
Chickens and runner ducks eat slug eggs
Another recommendation was to attract snail predators, such as hedgehogs, slow worms and lizards, by designing your garden in a near-natural way. Speaking of natural predators: I recently met someone at a market who claimed to have the snail problem completely under control ever since she started keeping chickens and runner ducks. I was all ears. «I’ve never had such a tidy garden, and I really do live out in the sticks,» said the lady behind the stand of the Breeders’ Association for Original Farmfowl (ZUN).
The reason? Her feathered friends eat the slug eggs before they hatch. In the winter and spring, she lets the chickens and ducks roam freely in her garden. «They’ve solved my slug problem,» she said. However, she did add that as soon as there are any signs of lettuce growing, she needs to fence it off. «The chickens like lettuce as much as I do.»
I’ll definitely give the chicken solution a think. Honestly, growing strawberries is turning into a laborious endeavour. During my online research, I come across a biologist named Bernhard Speiser, who’s featured in an episode of Swiss consumer magazine «Kassensturz» about snail traps. At the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), he studied how organic farmers can keep slugs in check.
«He’s my man,» I think to myself and send him an e-mail asking for an interview. It takes a while until I get a reply. When I do, he starts off by telling me that he grants himself the freedom of not replying right away, now that he’s retired. He also tells me my question’s tricky to answer.
Take it easy
«To me, a hobby garden is a place to watch nature grow and flourish above all. Harvesting comes second,» he writes. «This means there’s no real urgency to get rid of all slugs at all costs. As you can tell, I’m all about taking a more relaxed approach when dealing with slugs in the hobby garden.»
«Relaxed» sounds good to me. If I think about it, many vegetables thrived in my garden, despite the snails. Not the strawberries, perhaps, but the peas, cucumbers, carrots and zucchinis, for example.
At the end of his e-mail, the slug expert writes: «I’ll leave it up to you whether you’d like to continue our discussion.» Of course I do!
In fact, my conversation with Speiser has given me a whole new perspective on slugs. What about you?
What’s your method of dealing with slugs in your garden? Or do you just let live and let live?
Header image: Ann-Kathrin Schäfer
Ann-Kathrin Schäfer
Editor freelance
simon.balissat@digitecgalaxus.chI'm really a journalist, but in recent years I've also been working more and more as a pound cake baker, family dog trainer and expert on diggers. My heart melts when I see my children laugh with tears of joy as they fall asleep blissfully next to each other in the evening. They give me inspiration to write every day - they've also shown me the difference between a wheel loader, an asphalt paver and a bulldozer.
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