Those dark caterpillar thingys are probably cutworms, the larva of moths. That you tilled in peat moss, manure and some kind of soil mixture this spring means the Soil Food Web you might have has not yet gotten going so yoru plants are probably suffering from nutrient deficiencies which makes them more attractive to insect pests.
Taljk with the people at your local AgCanada office about where to have a good, reliable soil test done and dig in with these simple soil tests,

1) Structure. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. A good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top.

2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drains too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up.

3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart.

4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer your soil will smell.

5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy.

Keep in mind that it can take 3 or more years of properly amending soils before the Soil Food Web gets truely busy, but keep working at it and you will get a good, healthy soil that will grow strong and healthy plants that are less attractive to insect pests and plant diseases.

Thank you so very much for your help. I actually have a friend who's husband tests soil for farmers around our land. I'll ask him where he sends his samples and how much it is.

As for the soil not gotten going yet ... should I just grin and bare it or is there something I can do to salvage the rest of this year? As for worms I actually can't remember the last time I saw earthworms in there. We did in the field for them with my children and give them to the chickens but I've not seen them in the garden. (the ckns have no access to the garden). Should I/could I buy a load of worms and put them in the garden?

And one last question, I've seen the cutworms before but nothing seems to be "cut" by definition of what a cutworm does. Do they ever eat the leafs and leave the stem or could it be something I've not SEEN yet?

Thanks so much again.

There are no good caterpillars, unless you are a butterfly, or moth, or beetle fanatic. They all just eat garden vegetation. I have not found one that is beneficial.

There are no good caterpillars, unless you are a butterfly, or moth, or beetle fanatic. They all just eat garden vegetation. I have not found one that is beneficial.

Well, I mean you probably won't run into them any time soon but...
We describe the larval biology and host associations of five aphytophagous butterfly species from southeast Asia and report the first instances of predation on greenideid aphids (Hemiptera: Greenideidae) and leafhoppers (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) by Miletinae.

So, I guess this is one of those "never say never" things.

By the way, beetle larvae are grubs, not caterpillars.

O.K., gargwarb:

I'll be on the look-out for those Viet-Cong butterflies, and also those illegal alien aphids from where-ever, that are crashing the border. I will stock up on the strongest insecticide I can find. Can I get the democrats to help me find stronger tools to use against the foreign invaders?

Wow! I just looked at your member page! You are the oldest person I have ever communicated with! You are 157 years older than me!

Geez. As much as my back and other joints hurt, how do you get around? I will never say never to you. You have been watching stuff since 1789, so I am sure you are the smartest person on the planet. If not, you are a real idiot, not having learned much in 221 years!

Tom

Tom, you should know that the VAST majority of butterflies, moths, and their kin are important pollinators. The VAST majority of caterpillars are not major defoliators of garden vegetables. What a silly remark!

You should know that by planting a small selection of crops, you will attract those creatures that feed on those crops. Count a few caterpillar species in with all the rest of them. After all, we are setting the table.

sahmof, is there anyway that you could take some pictures of what you are finding? Cutworms curl themselves into a fat 'C' and are found in the soil, besides grubs. It's helpful to know who the culprits are.

Don't bring in any fishing worms to your garden. Believe it or not, soil can be perfectly healthy without worms. But if you continue to build the soil with organic matter of some kind (compost, fallen fall leaves, etc.) and mulch adequately, you'll soon find that the right kind of earthworms have moved in.

The link below will take you to a fairly extensive primer on the Soil Food Web that might aid you in understanding what is going on in your soil.

Here is a link that might be useful: Soil Food Web Primer

tdscpa
Wow! I just looked at your member page! You are the oldest person I have ever communicated with! You are 157 years older than me!

Oops! That didn't sound right so I checked it out. I screwed up and got a couple of numbers mixed up. When I put my birth year as 1792, I meant 1732. *blush* Thanks for pointing it out and its fixed. Sometimes the keys are tough to tell apart for a man of my advanced age.

I am sure you are the smartest person on the planet. If not, you are a real idiot

I'm an idiot.

rhizo_1

Of course I am impressed that you are a professor, horticulturist, and whatever. You don't know much about my garden. The only things butterflies, millers, moths, etc. do for me is bring cabbage loopers, and the occasional tomato hornworm, or celery, carrot, or parsley worm.

I have bees to pollinate all my crops that need help, (melons, peppers, beans, cucumbers), but my largest crops are tomatoes, corn, Brussels sprouts, lettuce, spinach, carrots, onions, radishes, and beets. None of these need the nasty fluttering vermin that leave behind caterpillars to eat and crap on my food crops.

What a silly, stupid, ignorant reply you made!

I have bees to pollinate all my crops that need help, (melons, peppers, beans, cucumbers)

What a silly, stupid, ignorant reply you made!

Peppers self pollinate too.

tdscpa, I'm glad that your gardening endeavors are working for you. Sincerely.

And I wasn't commenting on you, as a person....just that extremely broad statement you made. Or was it an extremely narrow statement? Anyway, it painted ALL caterpillars with the same brush. I shouldn't have picked on you that way. I can live with the caterpillars I have on my veggies (those that escape the daily searches, that is). I understand that some, like you, have to fight them constantly.

Who knows why some struggle with them and others aren't bothered so much? I sure don't.

We have large perennial and annual garden (besides the vegetable garden) which, at times, seem like they are teeming with the movement and color that butterflies and their kin provide.