Larry Blanchard wrote:

I'd use lava rock instead of plain gravel. The sharp edges
discourage
slugs (a biiiiig NW problem) and even the neighborhood cats don't
like
to walk on it.


I used to have a big slug problem. But with a yearly scattering of
sluggo in May they are mostly gone. Garter snakes, recently very
abundant at my site, may have helped too. In fact, I have not even
tried methods I saw posted here, like hair of some sort around the base
of the seedling, wood ash, or the now very popular coffee grounds as
poison. Lava rock tip duly noted.