Slug Resistant Vegetables? Do They Exist? Here Are Some Possibilities.
Slugs & Snails Cause Garden Chaos. Are There Slug Resistant Vegetables? In This Article I Suggest a Few More Resistant Vegetable Plants.
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Most years I read a lot of social media posts complaining about slugs and snails. In wet years it is even worse, plants can be wiped out overnight. There are various solutions. Some suggest eggshells (which I have never found to work despite following all the advice to over dry or bake, crush finely and distribute by the lorry load. And for every eggshell suggestion thare are 20 other “tried and tested” slug remedies, that fail to work unless you mix a lot of luck with them!
My favourite remedy, which does work quite well, is to predate them with nematodes. But it isn’t cheap and needs the right conditions to work well.
What is rarely discussed are slug resistant plants. Often I hear that slugs live hosts and many other plants, but rarely do I read articles on slug resistant plants.
So, to remedy that oversight by the gardening literati I decided to pen this short article.
To make it easy I’ve created a list of “slug-resistant” vegetables.
Chicory, Every Allium I grow, Artichokes, Asparagus, Spinach, Tomatoes, Rhubarb, Beetroot, Chives, Lemon Balm, Rosemary and Thyme, Broad Beans, and Jerusalem Artichokes are on my list.
But I have to caution you. They aren’t certain to resist every time.
Slug Resistant Vegetables: A Word Of Caution
Nothing is certain in gardening. And that is especially true of slug advice. The main thing to realise is that we are taking about slug resistant veg. Nowhere and I suggesting they are slug free! I don’t believe such a thing exists.
These plants are all less likely to suffer slug damage but are not totally immune to slugs.
Some vegetables have natural defenses that make them less appealing or even harmful to slugs. Here are some common reasons why the vegetables listed may be slug-resistant.
Strong Scents
Alliums (onions, garlic, chives, leeks) and herbs like rosemary, thyme, and lemon balm are regarded by humans as having strong or have pungent odours. But of course we should never assume that snails sense these plants in the same way. But maybe they dislike them. One sovereign remedy is to make a garlic concentrate to ward off slugs. I’ve tried it. It didn’t seem to work at all.
Tough or Hairy Foliage
Vegetables like artichokes, asparagus, rhubarb, and broad beans have tougher leaves or stems that slugs may find difficult to eat or move across. Spinach, while not particularly tough, has a texture some slugs may dislike.
Bitter or Unpalatable Compounds
Chicory, endive (related to chicory), and possibly beetroot contain compounds that make them less tasty to slugs. Perhaps!
Irritating Substances
Tomato plants have hairy stems and leaves that can perhaps be irritating to slugs.
Late Development
Jerusalem artichokes develop underground tubers, and by the time the foliage is substantial, it may be less appealing to slugs because there are alternatives available to them.
It’s worth noting that while these vegetables are generally considered slug-resistant, very young plants or in situations with a high slug population, they might still experience significant damage. However, for whatever reason they are significantly less likely to be targeted than more vulnerable plants like lettuce or hostas.
Cynicism & Slug Resistance
By now I’m sure you will have noted my frequent words signifying doubt about all of this. It’s not that I don’t find that the above are all slug resistant. They often are. My cynicism is for the reasons often given. We can’t really understand the slugs preference from the slug’s perspective. Just because something smells strong to us doesn’t mean it smells strong to a slug OR that they dislike it.
A Lack Of Slug Resistance Research
I tend to be quite cautious about believing many “beliefs” when it comes to gardening. I want evidence and not hearsay. Of course my own experience is important. But just because something I grow isn’t attacked by slugs doesn’t mean it is slug resistant. It might mean there were no slugs around due to the weather, the badgers that frequents my garden having eaten them, predation by ground beetles etc.
I want to see peer reviewed verifiable research of some sort. And when it comes to the reasons why some plants appear resistant to slugs there is a lack of info.
AI doesn’t help. It gave me loads of “evidence”. Evidence that is until I delved deeper. Much of it was hearsay and social media repetition and hence irrelevant. For example it found some great research on why some insects were deterred by tomatoes and talked of solanine in unripe fruit. When I quizzed it about how this related to slugs it said it had extrapolated from one pest to another and apologised for getting it wrong … I just love it when AI apologises!
The reality is some plants seem resistant to slugs on some occasions but science really doesn’t know why!
