Thanks again, We had a disgusting explosion of large grey moths about 2 weeks ago. I literally couldn't turn a light on outside without them bouncing off my head- they covered our courtyard. Our garden has been up and growing (and expanding) a little over 2 months now and I have yet to see a hornworm. We were out there pouring over the plants every day- especially after the moth invasion- and we were unable to find one little bugger... until we found the three cutworms. Here's the funny thing: we didn't have any damage to the tomato stems (our stems are quite massive now, I don't know if that was the reason), but we cut milk cartons and gingerly stapled them around the base of our Early girls (the plants we had all the holes in) and the holes, for now, have stopped multiplying. I assume that, what ever it is lives in the soil. Today, however, I was frightened to see tiny holes riddling our Marigolds. I think my worst fears may have come to fruition- I believe we, once again, have Tobacco bud worms. Some gardeners on GW talk about TBWs like there normal little garden pests, I don't know if maybe the climate here is more conducive to the (#%&*) grey moth that spawns them or what... but I have never met a more disastrous foe in a garden. I just dosed the Marigolds, geranium buds, and borage in Safer brand BT. I hope to God this year it works. I hope to God that they are not responsible for the holes in out tomatoes... because, in my experience, they are hard to find and harder to kill. Thanks so much, again, for all of the information. I'm going to look into D. Earth... maybe it will help out with TBW should we have them again. It's the only thing I haven't tried. Darcy

I know how to stop that critter! I have a large veggie garden that is critter free! how? My husband put up an electric fence around the whole garden. It is only about a foot high. There are three strands of wire. The bottom wire is an inch from the ground, the second one an inch from the bottom wire, and then an inch to the top wire. No animal can climb up or dig under without touching the wire. And once they hit it, that is the last time they will come near your garden. Now for deer. Yes, they can step over the wire, and that is where one of the Scarecrow Water Sprayer comes in. Buy one of those, and your garden will be deer and bird free. Now if I can only figure out how to electricute bugs.

Its hard to see in the dirt, if you could take another picture of it and re-post over in the houseplant forum you'll get alot of advice..

Jim, you may be right. I sprinkled some snail bait. It just seems funny I can't find anything. I can see no snails, no caterpillars, no grasshoppers, but that doesn't mean they aren't there. It may be that my detective skills are lacking.