These garden pests can live for several years as part of a large commune enjoying your crops
THERE ARE certain things that all gardeners are expected to do with ease, and squashing snails is one of them. Yet there are plenty who, when faced with the sight of two pairs of gently waving tentacles (one for seeing, the other for smelling), find themselves quietly baulking at the role of executioner.
In the OPW walled kitchen garden in the Phoenix Park, for instance, gardener Brian Quinn prefers to fling any errant snails over the wall, to the disapproval of fellow gardener Meeda Downey who is made of sterner stuff.
Not only that, Brian has also been known to let the odd snail “live a little”, like the one he discovered last week cruising along the top of some garden netting. “I’m keeping a close eye on him,” he explained, when it was pointed out that the snail was heading in the direction of the nearby lettuces. And so the mollusc was allowed to proceed at a leisurely snail’s pace towards the leafy vegetables, all of which left me idly wondering as to exactly what speed that was.
Subsequent research unearthed some curious statistics, including the discovery that for the last 25 years, the annual World Snail Racing Championships have been held in Congham, Norfolk, every July. The world record was set in 1995 by a commonplace garden snail (Cornu aspersum, previously known as Helix aspersa) called Archie, who completed the gruelling 13in (32.5cm) course in just two minutes. That’s an average speed of 32½ft (9.7m) an hour, which means that Archie could cover a surprising amount of ground – and do a lot of damage – when it comes to your average garden. What’s worse, a common garden snail like Archie can live for several years as part of a large but informal snail commune and has a surprisingly strong homing instinct, by virtue of their very strong sense of smell.
A recent experiment by Ruth Totnes – a “reluctant snail murderer” and British grandmother – found that snails will travel anywhere from 10m-100m (roughly 30ft-300ft) to return “home”. The research earned Totnes the title of BBC4 Amateur Scientist of the Year (see the Facebook page, BBC.Snails. Experiment. for more information). Totnes’ research was supported by Dr Dave Hodgson, a lecturer and scientist from the University of Exeter, who said he was astonished at the results.
Not only does the common garden snail have a strong homing instinct, it also has an elaborate and productive courting ritual that begins just about now, in early summer.
So, if you’re the kind of soft-hearted gardener who recoils from squashing snails then what other effective but environmentally-friendly ways can you prevent them from devouring your garden crops? The answer, unfortunately, is not as many as you would hope.
For example, while Brian and Meeda use the nematode control, Nemaslug or Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita (available from Mr Middleton, www.mrmiddleton. com or from Fruithill Farm, www.fruithillfarm.com ) to protect the walled kitchen garden’s fruit and vegetables from slug damage, this is only slightly effective against snails, whose tough shell offers them a surprising amount of protection.
“Although it will have some small effect on the snail population of your garden, Nemaslug is marketed as a biological control against slugs but not against snails,” confirmed a representative for its manufacturers, Becker Underwood.
Beer or milk traps, or physical barriers such as copper strips, soot, crushed eggshells and sharp grit, are of limited use in a garden of any size (the walled kitchen garden in the Phoenix Park is 2.5 acres), while hand-picking the nocturnal snails (best done at night) still leaves the gardener with the uncomfortable dilemma of what to do with them.
Garden writer Joy Larkcom advocates giving them a quick death in the shape of boiling water, but having tried it, I’ve got to warn that it’s not for the squeamish. Don’t attempt to drown them in a bucket of cold water either. I did this some years ago and – one by one – each snail clambered determinedly back out again (I did briefly put a lid on the bucket, before finally pussying out, and releasing any remaining survivors back into the wild). In the end, probably the most effective option is to use an organically-acceptable slug pellet, containing either copper sulphate or ferrous phosphate. Look out for brands such as Ferramol or Vitax, both of which are effective against snails.
Probably the kindest solution of all would be to round up your snails and place them in another snail-friendly habitat (but not someone else’s garden!) that’s at least 100m-200m away.
The other alternative is to handpick whichever snail in your garden appears to be the speediest, build a terrarium, feed him/her (the snail is hermaphrodite) a diet of succulent lettuce leaves, baby seedlings and ripe strawberries, and then enter him/her in the World Snail Racing Championships 2011 (www.snailracing.net), which will be held on Saturday, July 16th, on the cricket field at Congham. But be prepared for some stiff competition, last year’s race attracted more than 200 entries, including Molly the Marauding Mollusc (who didn’t win). Be warned, also, that only common or garden snails need apply, as the competition rules state that “giant foreign snails are not allowed”.
But don’t expect to see Brian and Meeda at Congham, now that they are fully absorbed in the annual battle to begin harvesting the walled kitchen garden’s produce before a motley collection of hungry mammals and invertebrates beat them to it. Despite the cooler temperatures, the recent heavy rainfall has brought lush growth, and the gardeners now have their hands very full indeed.
“It’s getting pretty busy,” admits Meeda. “For the last week, we’ve been picking bucket-loads of strawberries, raspberries, tayberries and loganberries, as well as the first carrots of the season.
“But along with harvesting, somehow or other we still have to find the time to keep the weeds and any garden pests or diseases under control,” adds Brian, firmly. Right then . . . looks like the walled garden’s snails had better make a run for it after all.
WHAT TO: sow, plant and do now
Sow outdoors in pots or modules, for later planting in the tunnel or greenhouse when space permits for late autumn/early winter protected crops:Calabrese*, kales such as Cavalo Nero, dwarf green curled and Ragged Jack, Florence fennel, kohl rabi, Swiss chards, early peas, dwarf broad beans, sugar loaf chicory**, basil, coriander, dill, plain leaved and curly parsley and sorrel. Covering while outdoors with a fine mesh-covered frame or cloche will give young seedlings protection from pests, and also scorching sun, strong winds and heavy rain. Inside the tunnel, if you have vacant space now, you can still sow dwarf and climbing French beans* .
Outdoors, sow in modules, in a seedbed for transplanting, or in situ where they are to crop:beetroot, brocoletto Cima di Rapa, carrots, cabbages (Greyhound and leafy non-hearting spring types**), overwintering spring-heading cauliflowers**, peas* (early dwarf vars. only now), Florence fennel, Witloof chicory (for winter forcing), sugar loaf chicory, radicchios, endives, salad onions, claytonia, landcress, lettuces, kohl rabi, Hungry Gap kale, radishes, rocket, Swiss chards and leaf beets, summer spinach, summer white or yellow turnips, Chinese cabbage, Choy Sum, Pak choi, mizuna, mustard Red Frills and other oriental leaves, Chinese kale (Kailaan), lambs lettuce, salad mixes, herbs such as parsley, chervil, coriander, dill, fennel, buckler-leaved and French sorrel. Also sow some single, quick growing, annual flowers such as limnanthes (poached egg flower), calendula, Californian poppies, nasturtiums, phacelia, etc to attract beneficial insects like hover flies to help with pest control, and bees to help with crop pollination. Sow fast-growing green manures like buckwheat, red clover, mustard and Phacelia, to improve the soil, lock-up carbon and feed worms (after digging in), on any empty patches of ground cleared of early crops that wont be used for six weeks or so, or which needs improving.
(*Early July only, ** mid-late July)
NBSow in the evenings if possible as germination can sometimes be affected or even prevented by too high a temperature, particularly lettuce.
Plant outdoors:Brassicas, celery, celeriac, courgettes, squash, pumpkins, cucumbers, runner beans, French beans. Earth up potatoes, begin to harvest earlies, spray maincrop against blight, keep seedlings and young plants well watered.
* All sowing details courtesy of Nicky Kyle at www.nickykylegardening.com
* The OPW’s Victorian walled kitchen garden is in the grounds of the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre, beside the Phoenix Park Café and Ashtown Castle. The gardens are open daily from 10am to 4.00pm
FIONNUALA FALLONis a garden designer and writer
