Yeah. I stopped planting cabbage because of cabbage worms. Plus cabbage is only 50 cents a pond.

I no longer grow onions due to root maggots nor broccoli because of the cabbage worms. I grew dino kale last year and they had the worms too. This year I got my husband to build an enclosure for a few kale plants so we'll see whether that works. We are lucky that we don't have issues with vine borers or cucumber beetles.

Not that I wouldn't plant them again sometime, but I'm happy to say that I will have no problems this year from SVBs, because I'm not planting any squash or pumpkins.

I dont grow carrots or any non vining root plants directly in the ground because cats poop all over them. They're the reason I do a lot of container gardening. I tried to stay away from corn because of the worms but, I was convinced to grow some this year... I do want to try some cool weather leafy vegetables in the fall because the worms always get them in the spring but I've never tried it...

I lost the battle of the corn to the squirrels

I've stopped growing a few vegetables more due to the limits of sun and space than anything else, but with new raised beds that tripled the size of my previous garden, I am trying crops that I haven't grown in awhile. I'm hoping I am going to get away with it this first year and have no major problems with pests. Our first planting of greens/brassicas has gone well, but I have seen the white cabbage butterfly around that bed. I haven't grown squashes or cucumbers definitely because of the pests they attract. I remember giving up on those after about 5 years of trying to get a successful crop. Haven't grown corn in decades because I don't really have room or enough sun, but I would worry about critters getting the crop. I don't grow melons usually due to space and sun, but I'm trying them again this year. I don't grow strawberries because the birds always eat them.

I'm probably going to be trying a lot of vegetables I haven't grown in awhile, so ask me again in a few years. [g]

I don't plant cabbage anymore because of cabbage worms.......plus, as seysonn said.......it's very cheap to buy.
I can only plant County Fair cucumber, because the cucumber beetles give wilt to absolutely every other variety.
I may quit growing butternut squash soon, because of the squash bugs.

We used to love eating fresh corn, but it is really work-intensive......planting in furrows, then hilling it up, but still having it fall over in storms. And then there's the coons.........

I've never had much luck with most heirloom tomatoes, so I just stick with Rutgers now.

Gave up on eggplant because of the bugs.

Over the years, I've pretty much narrowed down what varieties of which veggies are the best to grow around here. I'm content. (Except I would love to grow some different cucs........but it's just not possible).

Summer squash. It isn't just the bugs, but also when they come. It is just too hot out there to battle squash bugs and SVB. I am growing winter squash again, though. Will still have to face the squash bugs, but like with potato beetles it seems like early vigilance pays off best. Other than that, I've only stopped growing things I don't like to eat so much of since everything is so productive.

A couple thoughts on some of the above troubles: I tried beneficial nematodes this year, and they worked a treat on the onion maggots (and a number of other pests). Also, corn that gets blown over in storms usually rights itself given time.

Anything in the Brassica family gets destroyed, no matter what I do/use. The only thing I could do is get floating row covers, I suppose, but can't find them for 4x8 beds.

For me it's like many of you said, it's a combination of trouble compared to how easy it is to find comparable produce at the store. I'm willing to go through whatever it takes to grow tomatoes and beans. Corn, cabbage and lettuce, not so much.

Nice to know I'm not the only one giving up on some things.

Haven't tried summer squash in ages because the first three years I grew it it got instantly decimated by SVBs. (I find it bitterly ironic how zucchini is supposed to be this vegetable that everyone ends up with ludicrous amounts of and I have never ONCE gotten a single fruit off of a plant.) I'm trying a yellow squash this year, but very late in hopes of missing the SVB cycle, to see what happens - mostly because I ended up with a blank spot in the garden that needed something planted in and I am currently extremely pregnant and not up for anything more labor-intensive.

Between flea beetles (I think) and grasshoppers, my kale looks like lacework in midsummer, but it tends to recover by early fall as the insect populations die off. I'm happy to let the bugs have it in the heat as it's too bitter for me then anyway and it keeps them off the plants I do want.

I have all sorts of problems with squirrels (tomatoes) and rabbits (everything else) but electric fencing has taken care of them so far (knock wood), for the most part. I'm not willing to give up tomatoes nearly so easily as I am squash.

Corn - between the squirrels and the blackbirds I'm lucky to get one good ear in an entire season.

Eggplant - I've tried several varieties, in the raised beds and in containers, and they get almost instantly overrun with aphids.

Squash is ironically on of the better crops for me. The first year I had my garden boxes the buttercup plants turned downright megalomaniacal. I'm growing both zucchini and pumpkin this year, and have yet to see a squash bug. (They come later in the summer, but are pretty easy to keep in check by picking them off.) Never had a problem with SVB. The cooperative extension just sent out a bulletin on stink bugs invading, so we'll see how that goes.

The only plant that I don't grow every year because of pests is cucumbers. If I grow them two years in a row they are magnets for cucumber beetles. So I grow them every other year or sometimes once every three years.

There are many other plants that I usually don't grow for reasons other than pests.

Rodney

Oh god, it's definitely an issue with BIRDS for me.

We had a mulberry tree that unfortunately was too large to contain in a net. The birds would eat almost all of the berries and then poop on the cars, the house, the garden... etc. and before we knew it there were mulberries everywhere. We've selected a few of the growers to grow as small bushes, but chopped the tree down so it would regrow smaller.

Cucurbits are becoming more and more difficult... it seems our yard is a nesting ground for SVBs ever since I had a very successful pumpkin crop once upon a time.

We have PLENTY of dragonflies, so mosquitos are rarely an issue. That's something I'm glad for.

We had about given up on cabbage because of the loopers but since I found bT it has made a world of difference. Yeah, I know, it's just as cheap to buy cabbage but it just tastes somehow better right out of the garden. Root veggies, on the other hand... I completely give up on them. Something chews them all to pieces, not sure if it is bugs or moles. GRRR. Lettuce and chard - only in containers because that's the only way I can keep the slugs and rabbits from them (and the chard leaves are much cleaner this way, also.)

Edie

Corn - worms in the tassels as they form. Summer squash/cantelopes - svb. Papayas - papaya wasp maggots.

I am close to giving up on spring broccoli because of flea beetles. I always seem to forget about covering it with row cover fabric until too late. We do get cabbage worms but I pick them off and feed to the chickens. I am starting to pay attention to which tomato plants are more susceptible to beet curly top virus and will stop growing those as the virus is transmitted by leafhoppers.

Rodney............try County Fair cucs...........no beetles. It's the only variety I can grow. It has something to do with them not having the bitter gene........or something like that.

Only thing I am thinking to drop is carrots due to root knot nematodes. I am experimenting with mustard cover crop that should take care of nematode... If this doesn't work - it will be my last attempt. The rest - I keep growing. And guess what - I have no bugs) Beets(leaf miners), cabbages(worms), carrots(cats), zucchini(squash borer), cucumbers(cucumber beetles), strawberries(birds, chipmunks), blueberry(birds),currants(birds),turnips(cabbage root fly) - ALL GROW UNDER COVER!!!! And some how the bugs just left)

Add me to the no cabbage family list. I know that Bt would work, but it rains so often here that I'd have to reapply it every 2-3 days.

Also potatoes, because of Colorado potato beetles. And because my soil is heavier & higher in pH than their preferred range, scab is a problem too. Much of Wisconsin is potato country, they are cheap & plentiful here. Too bad really, I wish I could grow some of the fingerlings. There is a Bt for CPB, I might try it one of these years.

Bt has been very effective for me on corn, since it only needs to be applied when silks appear. Two sprayings a few days apart, sprayed directly into the silks, will eliminate nearly all corn ear worm. Some years the borers are bad, though, and I would have to spray the entire plant to stop them (I don't).

I'm surrounded by farm fields, and they often grow Bt corn. I'm not a fan of anything GM, but I've got to give credit where due - borers are not the problem now that they once were.

I guess I am too old and too stubborn to let any bad bugs dictate what I can and cannot grow. So I grow whatever I want and deal with any issues as they arise. There is always some sort of a solution.

Dave

catherinet- I've known about County Fair cucumbers for a while but I don't usually order from the companies that offer it. When I do order from those companies I'm always set for cukes at the time.

For those saying cabbage family plants, if you don't want to use row covers/tulle or use BT, try growing kohlrabi. The leaves can be holey since you aren't usually eating them, although you could if you want. And IF there is any damage to the outer surface of the "bulb" (which is rare) it's superficial and a non-issue since you peel it before eating. Although I'll admit that wasps usually do a pretty good job of getting rid of my cabbage worms so your experiences may vary.

Rodney

Half the challenge in this hobby is winning against the bugs and birds.

Bird netting protects the strawberries.

Pediobius wasps for the mexican bean beetles.

Row covers over cukes work for cuke beetles but occasionally they encourage too many aphids.

May try protek net over the corn for the stink bugs

I kill so many japanese beetles they nay have to convene a war crimes trial against me.

Trying BT on the brassicas for worms this year and will use the BT on the corn as well.

I am way too stubborn.

Scott

Interesting question. :)

I don't grow bok choi anymore because of flea beetles. I can't be bothered to grow lettuce, which attracts a ridiculous number of aphids, when I can grow spinach instead. I still get aphids on my dill, but I deal with those because the dill is necessary for pickles.

I LOVE Proteknet. I'm trying it out for the first time this year and I wish I had known about this product before. It doesn't catch the wind and flap/tear like floating row cover, so it's easy to install. It also lets in rain better than row cover. I use it to grow both brassicas and chard to protect against root maggots, cabbage worms, and leafminers.

Artichokes are the biggest challenge for me - aphids love them more than any other veggie and they manage to go through Proteknet. I use insect barrier row covers but they are a pain to use.

I also use insect barrier row covers briefly in the spring to protect early brassicas from flea beetles.

Never have to worry about SVB in zone 2b.
CPBs - I scout and kill.

Hmmm Macky77, I don't grow lettuce for the same aphid reason, but I've never tried spinach. A little more aphid resistant? I may have to give that one a try!

Broccoli and Brussels. The cabbage aphids were so bad that the vegetables were inedible.

I expect I am going to have some problems this year with bugs and birds and IâÂÂm still resisting growing under cover. By next year, I may be thinking of it again.

I donâÂÂt know how you all do it with the covers. IâÂÂve been reading about using tule or other fabric, but I have seen a couple of photos of very well covered rows, clipped onto plastic hoops and weighed down with bricks and it just seems like a lot of trouble.

Then I imagine you might have to pollinate every single plant under cover by hand?

IâÂÂve also read that sometimes the bugs still manage to get under the covers, aphids and others get under there somehow. Why is that? Is it when you have to get under there to pollinate?

And does using row covers cut down on sunlight? I don't get a full day of sun as it is, so I wouldn't want to add to that problem.

Bird netting is always suggested for strawberries, but you need a framework to put it on and that also has to be weighed down properly, IâÂÂd think?

But maybe as with many things, it's just a trade off and it's one kind of effort against the effort of dealing with bugs and ending up successful with the covers vs losing crops without them?

Those of you who have problems with aphids, donâÂÂt the aphids attract lady bugs that take care of that problem?

The problem with aphids and ladybugs is you need a lot of aphids before the ladybugs come. By that time, they can have done quite a bit of damage. And in my yard, the ladybugs never really eradicate the aphids entirely. They just help out a little.

I would be very sad to give up any cucurbits. I've been using 'Surround', a kaolin clay product as a deterrent against SVB, squash bugs, Japanese beetles, flea beetles, leaf hoppers, and more. I also use it on tomatoes for sun scald and heat stress.

Prairiemoon,

Covers are a little inconvenient to use, but they save time in the long run. Spraying Bt or spinosad, or worse, cleaning worms off of veggies, is time-consuming as well.
Insect-barrier grade row cover cuts only 10% of the sunlight out. For most leafy greens, this is even a good thing - it increases leaf size as well as leaf quality by decreasing toughness.
Tulle is even better.

Radishes - root maggots
Beets/Chard - leaf miners

O ! I forgot to mention corn. First I had to deal with squirrels, digging the seeds. Then because of small quantity/space they did not bear enough ears. And when they did, they were selling at 4 for a Dollar at the sore which were far better than mine.

I am not growing squash at home because of squash bugs. I am hoping a year off will cut the population enough to try again next year.

Here is a link that might be useful: My garden blog