THE CHILDREN'S HOUR WITH LEATHERFACE - Slugs and toads

Hi there kids its you very own favorite cut up, Leatherface! Today I went into town and stopped by the deli counter. Inspired by today's topic, I tried to buy some slug and toad loaf for our sandwiches. Do you know they pretended there is no such thing?! I'll have to make some more I guess. Well have no fear I still have leftover's from the last batch of head cheese I put together after the big train wreck.

Today we are going to talk about slugs and about an inexpensive, even fun way to control them. Why, you ask would we want to control slugs? Well, lets take a peek, shall we?


Yuck! Who wants their leafy greens after these things have been at 'em?

Nasty, are they not? No kids, we do not like Mr. Slug.

We want Mr. Slug gone but this is not an easy mission to accomplish. Oh. many control mechanisms work: Shallow pans full of beer trap some, slug pellets do kill them, and diatomaceous earth keeps them away from areas that have been sprinkled with it.

There is the shear joy of giving them a light salt sprinkle or harpooning them with a sewing needle on the end of a small stick and flipping them over the fence.

Copper flashing tacked around a raised bed or encircling a particular plant works also, but may be too time consuming and/or expensive in a large garden.

Scratching up all garden debris at the end of the season also cuts next years population, but will never eliminate it.

"Gee Leatherface, what's the fun part?"

"Well Billy I'm glad you asked! It is our own old gardening pal, Mr. Toad!"

Toads love to hang out in vegetable gardens and eat all sorts of things that we don't want living in there, but which we'd prefer not to eat ourselves. And toads are low maintenance.

Put a toad in your garden, place a pan of water sunken into the ground so he can hydrate once in a while, try not to step on him and he is likely to stay. Change that water often, slugs obligingly fall in and drown and I'm pretty sure Mr. Toad pees in it as well. The water can get very nasty quite quickly.

Also, you might want to provide Mr. Toad with a home or three in the garden. A toad house, if you will! We have a bunch scattered throughout the garden for the benefit of our warty friends.



What the heck is that? Mr Toad is singing???

Woke up this mornin', I et myself a slug!

Woke up this mornin', I et myself a slug!

Goin' to the toad house gonna have a juicy...

Bug!

OK! The Jim Morrison of toads apparently, and something that will not be a regular feature here at the Shed. We already, for the time being, have Aunt Agnes to tolerate. We do not need a singing toad as well.

Here, should you want more information about toads and slug control, is a somewhat relevant article on the subject. Until next time, this is Leatherface. Thanks as always for stopping by at the Children's Hour!