Insects Bugging Your Fall Vegetables?

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Mary Moore

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Photo Credit: Megan Bame

The cutworm’s dark color helps it blend in with the soil.

There are lots of wonderful things about fall – changing leaves, cooler weather – and a break from many of summer’s pest problems. Nevertheless, if you’ve got a fall kitchen garden, you’re probably aware that you’ve still got some hungry bugs itching to get at your autumn veggies. While there are some pests you’ll want to get rid of for sure – like cutworms, snails, cabbageworms and cabbage loopers – there are others you may want to keep, like the swallowtail butterfly caterpillar.

When it comes to controlling the “bad guys,” I like to use organic control practices. Not only are they pretty simple, I find they make it easy to purge the pests and pamper the keepers. Here’s a list of some common pests your may find buggin’ your garden, as well as some organic ways to control them:

Cutworms: If your plants look like they’ve been chopped down at the base by a miniature lumberjack, you may be dealing with cutworms. Cutworms sleep in the soil, then come out at night and chew their way through the base of a plant.

One approach to cutworm control is to dig carefully around the base of the plant that’s been attacked and remove the sleeping cutworms. You can also slow down cutworms by creating a physical barrier around young plants. Simply cut a toilet paper roll or paper towel roll into 3-inch cylinders and press each tube around the base of each new plant, leaving about an inch of the roll above the soil. You can also sprinkle diatomaceous earth around the plant to create a sharp gauntlet for the cutworms to climb over. (Be sure to wear a mask while applying, so you don’t inhale the stuff into your lungs.) While these controls take a little elbow grease, they work.

Warnings

Always wear a mask when applying diatomaceous earth to prevent inhaling it.

Facts

Some herbs, like lavender, attract adult cabbageworms, cabbage loopers, squash borer and other pests. Catching them near the lavender (try a cheap butterfly net) can help prevent them from laying eggs in your vegetable bed.

Tips

Don’t want to burn the midnight oil catching snails and slugs? Consider providing a shady place, such as an overturned pot, for them to hide in during the day so you can find and remove them easily without losing sleep.

Definitions

Diatomaceous earth: Made from the ground fossils of diatoms (a kind of algae), diatomaceous earth has sharp edges and injures and dehydrates insects that cross over it. It’s harmful to both beneficial insects and pests, so use it judiciously.

Resources

Remember, not all insects that feed on your plants are pests. To help determine if an insect is beneficial or harmful, consult a handbook with color pictures, like the Color Handbook of Garden Insects or The Organic Gardener’s Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control (both published by Rodale Press). These books also suggest effective organic-control methods.

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Next Steps

Articles

Getting Started With Organic Pest Management
Interested in controlling your pests organically? This primer can get you started on the path to a healthy garden.
Integrated Pest Management: Part 1
Want to keep the pests away without using chemicals? Practice integrated pest management! Learn the basics of this important method – from what IPM is to how it helps prevent pest problems.
Slaying Slugs ’N Snails
Slugs and snails eating up your garden? Get back at ’em with a combination punch of cultural, physical and chemical controls – and, of course, a good ol’ can of beer.

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