Often I find it easier to plant trays of seeds, than finding them a suitable spot in the garden. Preparing the garden beds for planting is a little more work. What work is needed has changed on my location.

When we lived in Redding Ca where the summer time temperatures are sweltering hot the tomatoes, strawberries and peppers ripened effortlessly. The lettuce and greens rapidly bolted. I do remember thinking snails or birds could get the harvest inland however nothing prepared me for gardening here on the north coast.

Slugs and powdery mildew are constantly trying to wreck havoc in the garden. It’s not a question of if any are present. It’s a diligent game of eradication along with environmental control measures.

Currently netting is my favorite barrier to the slugs and snails. The issue is for crops like my beloved strawberries. The bustling bees love to pollinate the strawberries and a barrier does not discriminate. If I could pull the netting off every day than maybe we can get some strawberries before a slug eats halfway thru it.

How can they disseminate a plant so quickly? This morning I proudly walked around the garden viewing the transplants taking to their new homes. All extra green and perky, reaching for the sky! How I wished I took a picture of this twisting bean shoot almost touching the trellis. I had thought of moving the trellis closer to it, then I walked past to the next plant. Fast forward 3 hours later! That’s all it took, it’s gone! Just a twisty picked thru stem. Weeks of waiting, wishing and all the green leaves became a meal for a slimy culprit. I’m certain snails and slugs serve a biological process that is beneficial for decomposition, however I need them away from the garden.

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