A different kind of harvest.
Looks like the garden produced more pests than tomatoes last year!
I was pre-digging the soil to get rid of the few cutworms I knew were present so that I could add the compost, and decided the results were worthy of an entire post.
This is what I harvested from 25 square feet of the lowest raised bed:
This is a 4th of a pound of insect. All within 4-6 inches of the soil. Sometimes my thin spade would bring up 10 at once.
I am sure there are hundreds... nay, thousands... more. Squishy, hungry thousands. *shiver*
Why are cutworms bad?
Cutworms are sneaky. They come out of hibernation in spring, and emerge from the soil every night to eat your seedlings. They retreat into the earth before dawn, leaving you wondering why everything dies so quickly. Often they will eat straight through the main stem, effectively cutting down the entire plant, hence the name "cutworm." They're not technically a worm, they're moth larvae.
I wonder if this is one reason I had such a horrendous time getting my seedlings to survive last year.
What can I do about cutworms?
Well, first of all, I can dig up as many as I can find. I am totally on board with that.
Other options are to spread diatomaceous earth, coffee grounds, or eggshells around the plants... cutworms won't cross them. Ryan drinks tons of coffee, I cook tons of eggs, and there's a 2-gallon bag of diatomaceous earth in the shed. I'm ready.
I hope the birds are ready too... I left the dish of cutworms out for them to find tomorrow morning.
Dig in your garden soil and see what you find...
Looks like the garden produced more pests than tomatoes last year!
I was pre-digging the soil to get rid of the few cutworms I knew were present so that I could add the compost, and decided the results were worthy of an entire post.
This is what I harvested from 25 square feet of the lowest raised bed:
Sharpie for scale.
This is a 4th of a pound of insect. All within 4-6 inches of the soil. Sometimes my thin spade would bring up 10 at once.
I am sure there are hundreds... nay, thousands... more. Squishy, hungry thousands. *shiver*
Why are cutworms bad?
Cutworms are sneaky. They come out of hibernation in spring, and emerge from the soil every night to eat your seedlings. They retreat into the earth before dawn, leaving you wondering why everything dies so quickly. Often they will eat straight through the main stem, effectively cutting down the entire plant, hence the name "cutworm." They're not technically a worm, they're moth larvae.
AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! Do NOT click this photo to see the original size!!
I wonder if this is one reason I had such a horrendous time getting my seedlings to survive last year.
What can I do about cutworms?
Well, first of all, I can dig up as many as I can find. I am totally on board with that.
Other options are to spread diatomaceous earth, coffee grounds, or eggshells around the plants... cutworms won't cross them. Ryan drinks tons of coffee, I cook tons of eggs, and there's a 2-gallon bag of diatomaceous earth in the shed. I'm ready.
Dig in your garden soil and see what you find...
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