Hi, Jenn I garden in Mississippi. At least here, it's too early for hornworms. They usually show up in June or July. No doubt you had them last year, but this year? I'm not so sure. I agree with sunnibel. I think you have more than one pest at work. If the holes in your leaves are small and round like heads of a pin or slightly larger that sounds like flea beetles. Did you, by any chance grow cabbage family plants in this spot last winter? If so, that's a very likely culprit. You will never see them, only their damage. The best way to lick them is to rotate your crops religiously. Never follow tomatoes, peppers, or eggplants with brassicas, and vice versa. For now, if you can live with some chemicals, you could spray. (Look for the mildest thing possible. Your County Ag Extension agent is a good source of information.) I agree with sunnibel that it sounds like you are overdoing the fertilizer. The best way to know is to get a soil test: also available through your Ag Extension office. It will give you a computerized readout that tells you exactly what your plants need to thrive. It will relieve your mind enormously. :) Here's a couple of thoughts. There will always be a certain amount of insect damage on your plants. But you will find that in small amounts, it really does no harm. Experience will help you figure it out. Don't give up. The flowers that are drying up? It's possible that they have been pollinated and are getting ready to set fruit. They do dry up and disappear at that point, you know. Leave them alone and see what happens in a week or so. If it appears to be disaster take a sample of them with you when you take in your soil test. As to your onions and things that have been chewed, it certainly sounds like rabbits....or possibly deer. Ask your neighbors if they see such critters about and have experienced plant damage. Check on your garden throughout the day (week-ends is better than nothing.) If it's rabbits, you'll see them coming and going if your keep a sharp eye out from a distance. If it's rabbits, the floating row covers can be a lifesaver. If it's deer, build a fence, or lacking that, I use the Scarecrow sprinkler system and if you keep its batteries fresh, it absolutely does work. I actually saw them at Walmart yesterday for the first time. Don't give up! You will figure this out with time and it will be worth it. We promise!

As I said back in the very early stages of this thread: I'm expecting soon to see a post by purplemage telling everyone that the roofing job has been finished to everyone's satisfaction and without purplemage's life being turned upside down. Y'all see. Meanwhile, it's been great fun seeing everyone getting so wound up. Peace!

This is my 1st yr to garden. When my pole beans had their 1st big leaves, I found holes and 1/2 eaten leaves. Then I discovered I had lots of baby grasshoppers. The 1st morning, I killed 21 in 1/2 an hour. By the end of the 3rd day, I had killed over 50. They were jumping over my corn rows. One time I found one eating my baby cabbage leaves. Two weeks later I still kill about 2 per day, some get away. I found 2 baby praying mantis in the lettuce today, they are so cute!

I have found grasshopper spore, Nosema locustae to be an effective, long-lasting (years) solution to grasshoppers. The material comes in flakes that are spread lightly around the property. The grasshoppers eat the flakes, become sick, and either die or are eaten by other grasshoppers, helping to further spread the disease. The spore is not very expensive, and easy to apply. The amount in even the smallest of the containers you buy may be sufficient to not only treat your garden, but also adjacent areas. I spread this material about 14 years ago on our property (a number of acres), and have not had grasshopper problems since. The spores seem to have a long-term persistence in the garden ecosystem. Renais