As much as the summer months are great for the , sometimes unwanted visitors can damage our hard work. One pesky creature that hinders our blooms is slugs. They can be a big problem for gardeners, especially during the summer months when warm and damp conditions allow them to thrive. Generally, tend to like young, tender plants and they can cause a lot of damage if not monitored. Luckily for us, a expert has revealed how to keep them away - and all you need is a simple vegetable to keep your plants as safe as possible over the summer.

According to Ish, known as gardening.with.ish on , you can repel slugs by using two simple things - a spray bottle and some garlic. He says a garlic spray is his "last minute" defence against slugs, and it's super easy to do.

Ish explained garlic has a particular ingredient that makes plants "disgusting" to slugs. As a result, they will stay away from them and they won't want to eat them either.

Ish said: "To make your own garlic spray, take about 200ml of water, and add about three or four crushed cloves, or finely diced, into the water. You want to leave this to soak for about a day or two."

Once ready, he adds some more water, to make it up to around a litre. From here, he strains it and pops it into a spray bottle.

He said you can lightly mist the mixture over your plants that are vulnerable and usually eaten by slugs. Completing this task around once a week should help to deter the pests, as it will create a film over the plants.

Ish said, if you do this, slugs should "stay firmly away" from plants such as hostas. He noted it's vital to water the mixture down by around a litre afterwards as, if the solution is too strong, it could impact your plants.

Diluting it will help to make it safe, and will also ensure slugs keep away. It's as easy as that, and people seem impressed by the tip.

One wrote: "I've been doing this for a couple of years now." Another added: "Thank you for this tip."

A third also replied: "Do ants and other little horrors hate it too? Thanks." Ish confirmed it may help to prevent these pests too.

Slugs don't like garlic, as both slugs and snails are repelled by the strong scent and chemical compounds in garlic, particularly allicin. This means the vegetable is a natural deterrent for these pests.

Garlic contains allicin, which is a compound that slugs and snails can't stand, and it therefore causes them to avoid it. The strong smell of it really puts them off visiting.

This is why garlic can be used as a natural slug repellent. Even though many people may think of garlic as a herb, it's actually classed as a vegetable.

It forms a part of the onion family (Allium) and the edible parts, including the bulb and leaves, are considered vegetables. While it's often used to enhance flavour in food, like a spice or herb, its botanical classification is as a vegetable.

Little you may know, it has more uses than you realise. As well as helping to make meals tasty, it can also be handy in your garden when used correctly.