Spring this year on Cape Cod has been wet to say the least.  We have had record amounts of rain.  The lawn is the greenest I have seen in years and the chicken run has plenty of shade from the leaves on the trees. The grass is growing at record pace and tiny mushrooms are peeping up everywhere from the ground.  Unfortunately with all the rain comes two bugs that I do not like, ticks and slugs.

A few weeks ago, I was approached by a new company that I had never heard of, Slug Shield.  They asked if I would be interested in testing out their products in my gardens.  Of course, I jumped at the opportunity because I have many plants in the garden that slugs just adore.  From vegetables, to Hostas and Joe Pye Weed, my gardens are a slug’s dream. Not to mention how bad slugs can be for your backyard chickens.

I typically use ground up eggshells and an organic gardening product that contains iron phosphate to battle these slimy critters.  I have had good success, but was there something better on the market that would last more than one season, be effective and organic?  I was introduced to Slug Shield.

I was sent some wrap-around varieties called Stem Barriers.

I can tell you that these are effective.  They work and have helped combat slugs in my garden.  I also love that they do not bother the chickens one bit! I did a side by side test using the iron phosphate on a Hosta and  only the Perimeter Barrier on the Joe Pye Weed.  After three weeks, there was a little bit of munching on the Joe Pye Weed, but it was my own fault.  The plant had grown to touch the garden gate and those mischievous slugs found there way to the plant that way.

My happy Hosta and Joe Pye Weed