A special find from the garden

I wanted to become a big-time vegetable grower this year, so I planted quite a few vegetable seedlings in the prepared beds. But all the rain is attracting those voracious, slug-like pests....



I collect the snails at least three times a day, and this week I found this beauty among the lettuces



A spotted vineyard snail



These snails are usually found in the Mediterranean region, where it’s warmer. But maybe climate change is having an effect here, too. 



In any case, I was very happy to have this guest. 

Dear Petra, your spotted vineyard snail is certainly beautiful and very photogenic. But in my garden, I’d prefer to have fewer of its kind.

Especially after it rains, they’re always out in droves, eating everything in sight—and that includes our delicious organic vegetables; even the flowers aren’t safe from them. Thankfully, they don’t like my tomato and bell pepper plants.

Best regards, Ina

In my garden, they love the bell pepper plants—unfortunately.

Yes, I’d prefer there to be fewer of them, but we’re trying to coexist. 

We don’t have a garden, but this vineyard snail is still a joy to look at.
Yes, nature does what it wants.

Vine snails are great—they eat slug eggs and don’t damage the plants as much.

Yes, exactly—we appreciate the vineyard snails, too. They only eat dead plant matter and the eggs of slugs. For example, they sit on our raspberry plants, but they don’t touch the raspberries.

As far as I know, vineyard snails are a protected species.

@Petra:
You took some beautiful pictures there. 

I like vineyard snails. There are so many in our garden, but they’re all just brown and white.
My remedy for slugs... 
Sheep’s wool, unwashed, and dried mint.... The snails hardly ever go into the garden bed anymore...
My zucchini is saved, and the snails have to find something else to eat 

You took some lovely pictures.

We’ve had an awful lot of them here this year, too—and at least just as many slugs.

This one even made it all the way up to the third floor onto our balcony. My husband then released it back onto our property.

I’ve heard about sheep’s wool, too. It’s good for keeping snails away and also works as fertilizer. Another plus for having your own sheep.

All the way up to the third floor—impressive.

  I’ve numbered a few snails this year. Number 1 keeps showing up at regular intervals on the patio and in the garden.

With all the rain, I get the feeling that even the Roman snails can’t tell anymore what’s a vegetable and what’s already wilted. They’re munching on the lettuce, too. I just collect them and release them again in the back corner of the garden, among the bushes.

  No rain since yesterday morning—this morning there were only 11 slugs.

Have a sunny day and a great start to the week!