Something, or someone, is munching on our leafy greens.

He/she/it particularly likes the cauliflower leaves

and the tender curly lettuce leaves

Some, but not so much, kale

or the other kale,

and it is not too crazy about beets either.

PICKY EATER!

I looked for snails but couldn’t find any.

Puzzled, I mentioned it to a friend yesterday. She told me about this trick when you put beer in a bowl near the veggie bed.

“How does it work exactly?” I was curious.

“The snails love beer. They can smell it from a distance and would come to it and leave your veggies alone. Then they will climb into the beer bowl to drink some and will drown.”

“Oh, I guess if you go, this is the way to go!” I was thrilled! This sounded like a humane solution to get rid of the mysterious pest/bug/nuisance. Not to mention it’s eco-friendly.

Last night I went outside to pick some lettuce for dinner’s salad and saw how great is the damage. Still, I couldn’t see anyone or anything living and snacking on my lettuce.

As I washed the leaves, soaking them in a big bowl of water, I noticed a few snails clinging to them, the kind without a shell; those who look more like fat, slimy worms… Yuck. Or are they worms? Sneaky little bastards… Without a second thought, I took a bottle of beer, poured some into a plastic container and hurried back outside. I made a little dent in the soil and placed the container carefully in it.

This morning Suburban Cowboy spotted a squirrel stealing the beer bowl!

Later I saw the neighbor’s black cat sniffing around the area. Hmm…

(Beer braised squirrel anyone?)

Now I don’t know what to do… Should I give the beer trick another try? Maybe this time I should add a bowl of potato chips? Tortilla chips maybe? Do you think the critters will like it?

Tags : chard, kale, kitchen garden, slugs
Categories : Urban garden