Snail war

On my regular morning walk to the greenhouse I cast a cursory eye over the vegetables sitting about the lawn, squashes and courgettes mainly, hardening off before the journey to the allotment and killing the grass in neat yellow circles. There is a small tray of Shoo-fly plants (Nicandra physalodes) potted on a few days ago. They are sturdy and well grown. Except that one has been felled like a little tree. A half inch stump remains while the rest lies nearby. The tell tale slime is the evidence.
What monsters slugs and snails are!
I would not mind so much if they had eaten it. What happened? The slug/snail took a bite and did not like it? It only liked the stem? Or just vindictive?
I have tried to be more and more organic and not to grow food they like in the garden. No Delphiniums or Hostas. But vegetables we like and they like. So I buy organic slug pellets, which is more work. They seem to have to be renewed more often. And this warm wet weather is ideal for the molluscs.
I planted out a lot of Morning Glories, quite decent size plants. For a few days they were untouched. Then one night the whole lot were gone. Why did the slugs and snails delay? I sowed the seeds, nurtured them in a propagator, transferred them to the greenhouse. I potted them on and hardened them off. Compost, water, modules, pots, sticks to support them, space in the greenhouse. And not one plant.
I caught a snail laying eggs in one of my pots. You have to be vigilant, but it is easy to tell when they are doing it. A sort of concentrated look comes over them and you can pluck the snail out mid-lay. And hurl it over the fence. Then winkle out the eggs with a twig or the end of a label. They are fragile and won't survive.
I have learned that the most important time to protect the plants is when they are tiny. Once courgettes on the allotment get beefy I give up with the pellets. Occasionally there is a horrid moment when a fat slug is discovered inside the picked courgette, about to be sliced. But they don't seem to eat the yellow ones as willingly. I don't want to use pellets. There are slow worms and a toad who could eat them too, via the hated molluscs. But when a tray of lovingly grown peas is decimated overnight my principles waver.
Do not believe the myths about slugs and snails.
They are very fast. Just buy an expensive Delphinium, plant it and wait. Next morning there will only be slime.
They are incredibly athletic. As athletic as squirrels. They will climb anywhere, any height. Don't assume your hanging basket is safe.
And remember, if you kill too many they will only go into overdrive reproducing. So what is the point?
One of my customers had reached her eightieth year believing that slugs were snails that had left their shells. Finding empty shells about she wondered how they knew which shell to return to! I love the idea of a six o'clock whistle and all the slugs return to their shells to become snails again!
Handy tip - use large empty snail shells as cane toppers. There is a twisted satisfaction in ramming these skeletons onto canes. This not only means that you won't poke yourself in the eye. You never know - the sight of snail remains may deter the others.
You can always hope.