[Tefleon]

Hi all.

Being new to all of this planting stuff I'm hoping you can help me with this.

Snails.  How do I attract them to my garden?  What plants do they prefer? I'm guessing a damp area of the garden but any suggestions to get them growing nice and large would be gratefully received!

Cheers

[Ice]

Why would you want snails in your garden?

[Tefleon]

Why would you want snails in your garden?

In short, to eat.   

I've been reading up on some receipes and after hunting my own plot couldn't find any worth using.

[SG6]

No expert in this but I would guess that the ones that are served up with garlic butter are not the ones you find in the garden.

Also it would make sense that they were bred and grown in fairly clean "farms".

Have you looked to see if any snails you expect to find have developed a poison to deter birds etc from eating them. It is fairly common in nature for what is lower down the food chain to develop toxins to whatever is higher up the food chain. It prevents them being eaten and avoiding extermination.

[8doubles]

Sounds like you need to get out mooching with a torch on a wet night to get a few.The garden snails sometimes called roman snails are indeed the edible ones.
They are best kept in 5 gallon buckets for a few weeks so you can control their diet. Haven`t tried home grown ones yet but it may happen.

[scabs]

Common garden snails are perfectly edible, but you MUST purge them for (I think) 7-10 days.

I've seen threads on River Cottage and Downsized forums that give step by step instructions...

If you need a load of snails, get yourself round to my garden, you can have as many of the b*ggers as you like!

[Faz]

You feed them carrots and when their poo is orange you know they are purged - I kid you not!

[scabs]

 

I've never heard that!!!

I was told to feed them on lettuce .. But the orange poo thing sounds a laugh.

I was going to try this but my whe family looked at me like I was mental, so I never did...

[Faz]

They don't look appetising to me either, stuffed with carrots or otherwise 

[Ice]

They look like a huge bogey, yuk.

[SG6]

Think I will eat the carrots myself and forget the snails.
At least whatever is on the plate appears more attractive.

And the 3 thrushes and the 6 balckbirds can have the snails.

See everyone happy (except the snails I suppose).