Worms are Eating my Root Vegetables! - Answers

Luckily, there are ways to control these insects without needing to use chemicals.

Search and Destroy

If you want to really deal with this problem, dig up infected vegetables, save those that are unaffected, and toss the rest. They must be destroyed. Do not compost them. The flies will get out and go all over your garden, laying more eggs among more plants. These worms affect many plants, not just root vegetables. They like cabbages and cabbage relatives, and can often cause damage to ornamentals, such as perennial lobelia, corydalis, and chrysanthemums, just to name a few.

Grow healthy plants

For your next crop, start preparing the soil early. Dig in organic matter such as garden compost or well-rotted or mushroom manure to get the soil nice and rich and fertile. Strong, happy plants can survive a small infestation of just about anything, so the better your soil is, the less problems you will have. Clear all old peices of root out of the bed. These can harbour last year's bugs.

Lay traps

2 weeks before planting time, stick chunks of carrots and potatoes on Barbeque shishkabob sticks, and stick the root end about 6 inches deep in the soil. Pull them out and check the vegetable chunks for worms every 3 days for 2 weeks. If you find a worm, crush it or drop it in a pail of soapy water.

Next, plant your crops. Whether you plant seeds or little plantlets, but sure to keep your plants happy and healthy.

Keep new bugs off

Next, prevent new bugs from laying more eggs in your soil by using a barrier. A floating row cover, such as white Reemay fabric, can be used to cover the area. It's light, so it won't crush the plants or need any support (That's why it's called floating). Hold down the edges of the cover by laying planks of wood down at the edges, or rocks and soil heaped up. Press into the soil to seal.

Use this cover over any root crops, and cabbage relatives (such as cauliflower, broccoli, brussels sprouts, arugula, and of course, cabbage).

The floating row cover should stay on during the spring and summer months, right up until harvest.

After your first year of following these guidelines, there will be a significant drop in the number of infestations in that bed. However, that bed should not be used for root crops again right away.

Rotate your crops

By rotating the places where

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