[Karin Andresen]

Seeing lots of holes in your plants (Hostas are a favorite) during the summer? It's really too late to do anything about those holes. They started as small holes in April/May and grew larger with the plant. The best time to control Slugs is April and early May. If you are not sure what caused the holes in your particular plants, look for slimy, dark trails on any pavement around your garden. It's a sure sign of slug presence.

There are several easy ways to control slugs after the damage is already evident:

• In the vegetable garden, only water in the morning.
  
• Set out shallow dishes of beer in the garden. The slugs will crawl into them and die.
  
• Spread uncooked coffee (grounds) around the base of the plants. Apparently, the caffeine is toxic to slugs.