Can't afford to buy anything to ward off the dreded invasion of the slug .
So it is just a matter of pick and squish !
The blue pellets do the job but they also do the job on anything else that eats them too . They also kill anything that eats the dead bodies , and i think that keeps going , ie , slug eats pellet , dies . Bird eats slug body , dies . Cat eats dead bird , dies . Buzzard eats dead cat , dies .
There are blue pellets that are safe for mammals , but they are not the normal ones .
After pick and squish , wool does the job , as does salt , but only so much salt can be put down .
A dusting of lime also works , till it rains ! Soot , weathered for at least a year , also works .
Sand and grit work also , as long as it is dry !
I don't drink , so don't use beer traps , but it does work .
I tried egg shells but found slugs just ignored them .
Nemaslug works , but so would the ashes of £20 notes spread around the plants , ;-) .
I have thought about sinking old roof guttering all round the edge of the plot , and then sprinkle a fine layer of salt in it . It would need a little roof ( ironic !) , to keep rain off though . Then it would just be a war with those slugs within the boundary , reinforcements being held at bay by the salt trap !