With the new season getting ever closer, it is time to give a thought to pest control.

Small seedlings are especially vulnerable to attacks by hungry slugs and snails.

A month’s worth of patient growth can be eaten in a single night.

Organic gardeners don’t use any kind of chemical pesticides on our plots and so we must find other ways to control the greedy gastropods.

I should point out here that the intention is not to kill every slug and snail on the face of the planet. It would be nearly impossible to achieve and even slugs have their place in the ecosystem.

The trick is to keep their numbers under control so that the plants you are growing to eat have a chance to reach maturity before the slugs and snails beat you to it.

There are several techniques you can use in the organic garden.

Some are effective all year round. Others work best at specific times during the growing season.

At this time of the year keep an eye out for their eggs as you prepare soil for planting.

They are found stuck together in clumps and resemble tiny pearls usually less than 2mm across.

Every egg that you manage to destroy is one less slug or snail to track down later in the year.

The pesky molluscs also need shelter during the daytime to protect them from predators and from the heat of the day.

They like to hide in dark, damp places like the underside of old flower pots and bricks.

By systematically removing hiding places from your garden you deprive them of shelter and keep their numbers under control.

Physical barriers can be very useful for protecting small plants until they get big enough to look after themselves.

Slugs and snails travel on a trail of slime and find it difficult to cross dry powdery material like hair clippings or sawdust.

They also don’t like to cross Vaseline and (a new one to me) WD40.

A thin smear  will deter them from climbing up the outside of pots and seed trays.