To The Little Slimy Bastard Who Is Eating My Summer Squash- Part 2

IMPORTANT UPDATE.  GOOGLE JUST TOLD ME THAT THE PICTURED PEST IS ACTUALLY A SNAIL.


Dear Squirrel or Bird or Rat or Cat Who Isn't Eating My Squash Leaves At Night,


It seems that I owe you an apology.  The true culprit has been unveiled.  


In my previous post, my good friend (and the man who Bunny likes to tell people is her "other dad") Mathew suggested that the villain is not any of the for mentioned critters, but is rather (DUN, DUN, DUN) a slippery, slimy, sleuthy, slug.  He suggested that I make a few slug traps out of small containers and beer.


I am sad to report that the slugs didn't take the bait.  Is it that they don't like Sierra Nevada and prefer Red Stripe (something we would have in common) or perhaps they just drink a lot of beer and have particularly high tolerances (this is California, after all),I will never know.  


My traps were empty.


My squash look like this!

 And I found several of these on and around my squash.


So, if the beer didn't work, what now?  I am so sad, but I really don't want to put chemicals all over my vegetables.  I also don't want to kill the slugs in any sort of violent way.  Truth be told, I think that they are sort of cute and if I could just prevent them from eating my vegetables by offering them something they' d prefer in some sort of slug approved slug garden, I'd consider it.  


So, how do I keep the slugs out of my garden and off of my vegetables?