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If you notice slugs in your garden, don’t delay in finding a solution: these pests multiply rapidly and consume the leaves of any crop they encounter even faster. Traditional methods involving salt or coffee grounds aren’t always effective, reports The Spruce.
In such situations, inventive gardeners act proactively: they plant herbs around the perimeter of their vegetable patch or near particularly vulnerable crops. These plants, with their strong scents, deter pests.
What to Plant to Keep Slugs Away?
Herbs
As their name suggests, all aromatic herbs possess a potent fragrance. The essential oils present in their leaves or flowers are often detrimental, or at least highly unpleasant, to slugs. You can cultivate the following in your garden:
- Peppermint
- Tarragon
- Garlic
- Rosemary
- Thyme
Rosemary can repel slugs / Photo Pexels
Spicy Peppers
Unfortunately, common bell peppers won’t deter slugs. However, hot varieties offer robust protection for your entire garden. The presence of capsaicin in these peppers is definitely unappealing to pests, causing them to retreat quickly.
Hot peppers are useful against slugs / Photo Pexels
Marigolds
These flowers can enhance not only flowerbeds in your yard or garden; gardeners have long recognized their benefits in the vegetable patch. The scent of marigolds repels not only slugs but also a range of other bothersome insects, including the Colorado potato beetle and aphids.
Marigolds deter pests / Photo Pexels
You can sow marigolds between the rows of your vegetable beds.
Pot Marigold (Calendula)
Calendula is useful for more than just tea. Its leaves and stems release phytoncides that are highly disagreeable to snails and slugs. Furthermore, the plant blooms profusely until late autumn, providing consistent protection for your garden.
Calendula has beneficial blooms / Photo Pexels
Nasturtium
This attractive vine can serve not only as protection against slugs but also as a potent green manure. After the flowers begin to wilt, there’s no need to remove them from the garden. The following year, their decomposed leaves and stems will act as a powerful fertilizer.
Nasturtium serves as a potent green manure / Photo Pexels
Carnations
Carnations are worth planting in the garden / Photo Pexels
These are an ideal choice for “lazy” gardeners who prefer not to sow new plants annually, as carnations are perennials. These flowers not only look stunning but are also highly effective in combating annoying pests.