The way we practice has a lot to do with contemplating causes and effects and wiping out the wrong perceptions we harbor in our minds. Many people tell us that they would like to improve their lives but don’t know how to get started. Snail Tales is an example of the process we tend to follow when contemplating any issue.
The first step is to realize that a problem exists. When the seeds, vegetables, and flowers I planted were all dwarfed or reduced to mini bite marks, step one was instantly checked off the list.
Step two is to identify the cause. In our experience, we had seen raccoons, cats, spiders, birds, small insects, beetles, slugs and snails in our backyard. Since the feast happened when we weren’t around, we had to ask, which of these suspects had a vegetarian diet and mouths corresponding to the size of those bite marks? We imagined it was the snails and slugs.
To test our theory, we first looked up the diets of insects, slugs, and snails. Sure enough, others in similar climates had reported a pattern of young plant shoots being consumed by snails too.
I found that others dealt with snails by using two main techniques. The most effective seemed to be one that I didn’t feel comfortable with: digging a pit and filling it with beer or water. One friend and many internet accounts claimed the snails would crawl into the pit and die. The other option was surrounding my plants with coffee grounds. I didn’t want to kill the slimy dudes, I just wanted to eat my crops and enjoy some flowers. So option two seemed like an easy choice.
I bought coffee and made rings around the plants and kept a close watch. Sure enough I caught the snails and slugs eating my produce. What’s worse is I also caught them smugly sliding right past my coffee grinds.
Here I was, spending hundreds on soil and plants (and coffee grinds), only to feed a thriving snail population in my backyard. Would the snails slowly but surely end up eating all of the trees and plants we had in our yard? Not exactly. Only certain plants attract them. Should I stop planting crops and flowers that snails like to munch on? That hardly seemed fair because I also enjoy the same plants.
So, before I convert the backyard to a cactus garden, we wanted to try one more thing. Eviction. Since the snails in my neighborhood were immune to coffee and we weren’t willing to kill them, this would be the only way to ensure I get to eat my micro greens.
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