Who chews what
Cutworms
Aromanight feeders that chew through stems at the soil line
Cabbage worms
Aromagreen loopers that also hide in buds
Leaf-eaters
Aromalarge holes in blades
Corn borers
Aromastart as clusters of tiny leaf holes, then enter thick stalks and can kill a whole plant
Borer clues
Holes
small openings in stalks, sometimes with thin silk
Galls
later, fusiform bulges that widen in the middle of the stem
Wilt
tissue above the bore dries because water and feed cannot pass
Infection
chewed tissue is an open door for disease
Prevention outdoors
Start inside
keep seedlings indoors as long as you can before transplant
Sanitation
clear weeds and debris, especially after harvest; destroy old stalks to cut borers
Cutworm collar
a barrier at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) into soil and 4 inches (10 cm) above, with stickum
Covers
row cover in spring blocks egg-laying moths; garlic is listed as a moth repellent
Soil
turn beds before planting and destroy overwintering larvae and pupae
Controls listed
Hands
Aromapick or shake them off
BT
AromaBacillus thuringiensis stops feeding after they eat it
Spinosad
Aromadeadly to chewers after they ingest it
Wasps
AromaTrichogramma species kill eggs if released early
Also listed
In-stem
Aromaonce a borer is inside, the book describes pulling it or injecting a listed caterpillar product into the hollow