Familiarize yourself with snails and slugs favorite hiding places (in between walls and plants, rocks and plants, containers and plants, wood and plants, linear-leafed plants such as Agapanthus and Daylilies, to name a few) and hand pick. Remember, snails as a rule do not hide in the plant they are eating, so always check the plants surrounding the damaged plant. Hand picking at night with a flashlight works. To trap snails and slugs, place a slightly elevated wood board in the garden bed and turn over to remove them in the daytime. Use barriers such as copper wraps (good for trees or single trunked shrubs). Surround plants with diatomaceous earth. Use beer baits. Avoid over-watering.

If snail populations are high you might try one of my favorite methods of hiring kids to pick them out of the garden and pay them a dime a snail. Iron Phosphate baits, such as Sluggo® or Escargo®, applied on a weekly basis are also effective. Avoid toxic slug baits that use a metaldehyde-based formula dangerous to children and pets. Predator Decollate snails can be released but the use of baits needs to be discontinued. Predator snails are most effective in ivy situations. Most Garden Centers carry non-toxic baits, copper snail wraps and bags of diatomaceous earth. Few places carry beer baits, so you may want to use an online source, such as Peaceful Valley Garden Supply.