Slugs will take a big bite out of strawberries. To keep the birds out, use netting over the entire bed. To deter slugs, rake away the mulch and put down a fresh layer, then border the bed with copper foil, surround plants with diatomaceous earth, or set out beer traps. The foil acts as a battery, actually shocking the slugs when they come in contact. The diatomaceous earth slices and dices their foot.
Diatomaceous earth is also excellent to use as a dust to control insects.
Okay, not really, but they do fall in and drown. Harvesting vegetables was next on my list. The first stop was the pepper patch, where I used pruners to pick the peppers rather than try to pull them off the plant. I do that because in the process of pulling on the peppers, you can easily pull off a branch or even uproot the entire plant. Purple peppers are interesting to look at and mighty tasty too.