7 Plants That Will Keep Slugs Away All Summer Long, Gardeners Say

Slugs and snails are one of the trickiest pests to manage in gardens; they can leave flowers, fruit, and veggies tattered with holes if you’re not careful. However, even these voracious eaters can be thwarted by growing companion plants or using certain plant-derived products in your garden.

If you’re tired of these pests destroying your ornamentals and edible crops, here are a few plants that deter slugs and snails, and tips on how to use these plants for natural pest control!

Some Scented Herbs

There is some research to suggest that natural slug repellant products made with essential oils or other plant extracts may deter slug activity.

“Garlic, tarragon, thyme, peppermint, and rosemary extracts sprayed on vulnerable plants have prevented or slowed slug feeding in lab, greenhouse, and field studies,” says pest expert Jon Traunfeld.

Consider using an organic, commercial product made with any of these plants, or grow these herbs around the perimeter of your garden or next to crops and flowers that slugs frequently feed.

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Hot Peppers

Although slugs and snails feed on pepper plants, capsaicin-based extracts from hot peppers have shown some promise for deterring slugs and snails.

These products can often be purchased online or at certain garden centers, but you can make your own spray for plants with some garlic, cayenne powder, water, and perhaps a squirt of Castile soap.

Marigolds

Marigolds are often grown as companion plants in vegetable gardens to reduce pest activity. But these plants don’t actually repel slugs. Instead, marigolds serve as a trap crop for slugs, snails, and a number of other insects and work to lure pests away from veggies and other plants you want to protect.

Pansies

Like marigolds, pansies serve as trap crops for pests and can effectively distract slugs and snails from feeding on veggies, herbs, and other flowers.

Whether you grow plants in in-ground gardens, raised beds, or containers, pansies are compact enough to grow in just about any space. These plants also have an incredibly long bloom time and lots of flower colors to choose from, ensuring you’ll never get bored when growing them.

Calendula

Calendula’s fleshy leaves, stems, and flowers also draw slugs and snails away from other crops and can be interplanted in food or flower gardens for natural slug control.

These plants generally produce bright orange or yellow flowers that can bloom from spring well into fall; if you do a bit of hunting, you can find calendula plants that bloom in other colors, and even some bi-colored varieties for extra garden pizzazz.

Dianthus

Unlike calendula, marigolds, and pansies, dianthus are typically grown as perennials and are best-suited for perennial flower gardens rather than veggie beds.

A top pick for floristry and cutting gardens, dianthus plants range in height from 4 to 36-inches tall and typically bloom in shades of pink, purple, red, or white. They make an effective trap crop for slugs and snails and may also lure in beneficial insects that feed on pests you don’t want in your garden.

Coffee

Most growers won’t be able to keep coffee plants in their gardens; it is a heat-loving plant that only survives perennially in zones 10 and 11, and can stretch over 15-feet high. But like hot peppers and fragrant herbs, the extracts from coffee can be used as a slug deterrent.

“The caffeine in coffee grounds is toxic to slugs,” Traunfeld says.

Studies have found that using coffee as a soil drench is highly effective against slugs, and can even be fatal to slugs and snails that come in contact with treated soil. Beyond that, coffee grounds also have a texture that slugs and snails find repellant and spreading spent grounds around your garden can keep slugs and snails out.