I find that slime works very well for small punctures with one caveat. Thorns like those from goat heads with usually break off and remain imbedded in the tire. To use slime properly where goat heads are common you need to remove the tire from the wheel and pull out all of the thorns from the inside, nearly as much work as patching an inner tube. You can buy purpose made “thorn guards” a liner made of something like Kevlar that fits between the tube and tire under the tread or use “puncture resistant” tires as mentioned earlier that have puncture resistant fabric embedded in the tire carcass.