I till every year. I layer my leaves and grass clippings on the garden every fall and till it in the following spring. I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing, but it's always worked for me. I have plenty of worms every year, so they don't seem to mind it either. I haven't done a no-till garden, so I can't say if one is better than the other. I generally don't have any problems with slugs with the exception of last year. They weren't too bad, but they did eat a few potatoes. I think the only reason they got to the potatoes is because that's the only place that I couldn't see them and the only place that was cool enough for them to live. I haven't mulched before and this will be my first year trying it. Weeding doesn't bother me; I find it relaxing, so there hasn't really been a reason to do so. Our water source recently became unavailable, so I'm thinking about drip irrigation and mulch will help in keeping the water in the soil. Slugs don't like heat and we have plenty of that in the summer, so I just had to find their hiding spots and then squish them. That is the most effective way to do it. There are baits and poisons that work to a degree, but you most likely won't kill them all with bait, so hand picking is necessary to control them. If you're feeling sadistic, you can toss one into a jar of pennies for a light show (at least that's what I've heard, I've never tried it). Copper gives slugs a shock when they touch it, so you could lay a bordering strip around your garden to keep any slugs out. Obviously if it gets buried by anything, it becomes useless.

I'm gardening in the pacific northwest where our slugs can get to 8 or 9 inches long & come in colors & patterns orange, brown, black, olive green, leopard pattern, and yellow - the famous banana slug. They are a major problem and the only serious threat organic gardeners face here. what are Hawaiian slugs like? I'm an organic gardener but I make an exception for slugs - the only exception in my org garden! I had virtually no success with Sluggo, tho tried it over one summer the only thing that works for me is Deadline. I don't use a lot of it, only protect the plants they're attacking without mercy. Draw a line around the plant with liquid Deadline and it's 100% effective. You will never "get rid" of slugs. They're migratory. You kill some and others move right in. It's better to focus on protecting specific plants.

We do not have borer in Australia and we are unlikely to get it here, because it has bearded iris only as an intermediate host, and I believe temperatures play a part in it's lifecycle too. The little holes are simply the holes where the old roots used to be, and are no longer. They are not a pathological problem. New roots grow from the heel of the rhizome and from the heel of each new offset. Old rhizomes should be discarded unless they have strong new side growths showing. There may be a soil problem here that is not allowing for good strong root growth and development.

Gosh He's a right old toad. I think my frogs are much prettier and they will do the job just as well. LOL I must admit that although I get a lot of snails and slugs in my front garden I don't get many in the back which is where my pond is. As to the poor rabbit having to share his food and lodgings with slugs, that is awful. I am wondering if you put some apple pieces round the base of the legs. It won't kill the slugs obviously, like salt would have done, but if they are munching on apples which they really like, then there is less attraction to going into the rabbits home. It isn't a solution for you really as it will still cost you in the way of apples instead of rabbit food, but it will stop the invasion in the hutch. Here is a link that might be useful: Alisons garden website