Slugs may have preferences, but they also eat lettuce, brassica, I don't know about spinach. ALSO, slugs prefer the MOST tender stuff. Other culprits could have been rabbits, rats, Earwigs. Squirrels are no vegetarians.

Keep an eye on slugs/snails after dark, wit a flashlight. If you find them then search for remedy. I have had BIIIGG slug problem past two years. Now I am preparing myself to fight them, by more than one weapon. They are mainly a spring time problem for small seedlings and emerging flowers.Over here some of them can be bigger than my small finger. They can decimate a small seedling in one sitting.

Hmmm, OK. So if it's a slug problem, what have you tried that works? My initial reading tells me not to bother with copper strips, eggshells or coffee grounds. I have read about some success using Sluggo, though I worry that it also attracts them. And then there's diacetemous (sp?) earth. If I can find where to buy it.

Never heard of sluggo attracting slugs, I don't think you need to worry about that. I second the idea of checking on them after dark, I have come to discover that damage I would have thought was from slugs comes from other sources sometimes, like night-feeding beetles, some sort of fly larva, and some strange caterpillar-like thing that I haven't IDed yet. And to be clear, these were all on the chard. Then, the final culprit, who won the battle and destroyed the chard- a rabbit that would visit the patch each night and just eat the chard. I did not like that little bugger.

I agree with those who say to check at night... that is when most pests that eat plants are active.

But if it is happening in the day, it might be finches, especially if there are bird feeders nearby. Goldfinches ate an entire 12" tall row of my chard several years ago - ate it to the ground & killed it. Wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't caught the flock in the act. After that, I covered my chard with Remay (a spun polyester row cover) and had no more problems.

If you want to try DE (Diatomaceous earth) around your plants, look for a retailer that carries pool supplies, they sell DE in bulk for a more reasonable price than garden shops.

I'm a little surprised that you use 'starts' for Swiss chard. It is very easy to grow from seed, and can be planted in a wide range of soil conditions.

Let me tell you how I deal with slugs/snail(Assuming that it is your problem too)

1) HUNTING: Nothing works more effectively than just finding and destroying them. ESPECIALLY early on so that they cannot multiply. Get one of those sharp pointed bamboo skews, just skew them one after another as if you would skew shrimps. (GRIN) . Put it somewhere on a sunny place. Hopefully some birds may enjoy them or they will become SUN DRIED slugs. hehe

2) use nylon netting around and over your seedlings. Make sure that it is well pinned down.

3) Slug baits of all kinds work fine. But they are expensive. Here is what I do: Make my own mix"

--- 1 parts slug bait
--- 4 parts used coffee grounds
--- 2-3 parts play/mortar sand; has to be a little rough. Dry is better.
--- ground egg shell : NOT too fine. You want it to have sharp
points

There you have it; You can use it more generously as opposed to pure expensive sluggo. This year I will add some crushed floor dri(DE) as well.

Slugs have a tender belly. That is how slugo works, by tearing it down. Sand, eggshell, any sharp matter can also damage their belly and you will see them bleeding while running away.

Your ultimate goal should be to destroy them, not deter them. As you continue doing this the population will be reduced, and there will be less muliplication. BUT always be on the look out. not just around the vegetable garden, but everywhere in your yard. HUNT THEM. a salt shake can also work instead bamboo skewer.

Zeedman, I think you may have hit on my real problem!!! There are constantly finches landing in the beds, right next to the plants and poking around. I've always suspected them too, but couldn't believe it.

Maybe it's the birds!!