Slug Battle

The caterpillars and slugs are devouring my lettuce plants. Now, I have the utmost respect for my fellow vegetarians...but I have very low tolerance for those who invite themselves over for dinner and then defecate on the leftovers. How crass!

Several weeks ago I transplanted an entire bed of lettuce in my greenhouse...and when I went to check them out a couple days later there were entire sections totally missing! THEY ATE THEM ALL!
Those merciless little creatures. So with Mary's advice I constructed the ultimate gauntlet. I dug a trench in the entrance of the greenhouse and filled it with rocks, ashes, and broken egg shells. Nice caustic materials on tender flesh. I transplanted onions in the newly emptied pockets, and sprinkled ashes around all the beds.

One morning Mary handed me a "slug kit" she put together. The contents of the white bucket contained two grapefruit peels, two avocado peels, two cat food containers, and a half full can of beer. I was told to put the avocado and grapefruit peels face down on the soil because the slugs like to crawl in a hang out. The cat food cans I buried in the soil and filled them with beer. A nice alcoholic swimming pool for the critters to have an after dinner drink and die.

Last week I did my first "night patrol." This involves walking through the greenhouse with a headlamp scouting out slugs and cutworms. The first night I attempted this it was too early and I only found 18 slugs in motion (slow motion) not having quite reached their feasts. But I plucked them right out of their delightful pilgrimage to Mecca and put them in a jar to be saved for the chicken's breakfast. The following night it was far too cold and I only found 1 slug. But tonight, the conditions should be just right. There are enough clouds in the sky for it not to be too cold for slug flesh and I plan to make my prowl at just the right hour of the night.