Cutworms

Over the last week or so there have been a few instances of cutworms killing young tomato plants. I haven't seen them, but the evidence is there. Gardeners have responded to the challenge in a few ways.

Protect the stem. Many have created protective coverings for the stem. Cups, toilet paper rolls, wax paper buried slightly. Apparently the critters slither along the ground, climb plants, but don't climb over obstacles. For more read about controlling cutworms organically on the Simple Gifts Farm website.

Ward them off. We sprinkled diatomaceous earth around our plants. Diatomaceous earth is an organic mechanical pesticide due to its physico-sorptive properties. (did you like that one?)

After the first few kills, it looks like the situation is under control.