Hi John,

I'm with Sacha on this one, encourage frogs into your garden. Ponds are not necessary: my small front garden is a barren desert of shingle with no earth, no water, just a lot of things in pots, and it is crawling with frogs! (They make me scream every time, I can't see them until they move) Just arrange some pots close together to provide shade, and water them carelessly so it splashes about a bit. That's all I do, and I rarely have slugs - but lots of snails. Hmm, I need a thrush. Anyone got a spare one?

Copper tape: doesn't work.
Two rings of copper tape attached to a small battery, however, is 100% effective (he he he) and I kept my tiny back garden allotment bed clear of everything for several years by this method. (Wonder if I could get a barrier all the way round the entire garden? If I could train the postmad to step over it......)

Moats also work: raised beds on legs with each leg standing in a dish of water, as long as you have a good couple of inches of clear water. To the best of my knowledge, snails won't swim, and can't jump. If I could only get the whole garden raised up on legs....

Caterpillars, however, not a sign of them. Lush, lush Soloman's Seal for the first time in years.

Beer also works well - yes, I know it's a wrench to sacrifice some, but come on, be a man about it. And, best of all, it kills them but doesn't poison them in the pellet sense, so you can tip them out for the birds to enjoy (hic!).

An alternative is to sink old drinks cans in the ground up to their necks, with a little beer in the bottom. At least with these you don't have to look at all the sad little corpses...

Rachel