Cutworm on the veg plot. What shall I do

away-with-the-fairies

Hi all, am after some help please. Just got an allotment which I  now know was empty for a decade and it’s just one big couch grass patch. I have dug over a sizeable section quite a few times to get rid of all the roots and I came across what I believe to be cutworms. I thought they were caterpillars so I left them. I turned the patch over again the other day as there’s were so many of them before but I could only find a couple. I dug down a good spades depth but couldn’t see any but not entirely sure where they are. I have read there is a nematode solution to pre soak with but it’s fairly costly but on the other hand I don’t want my very first veg to be eaten from the bottom up and no real way to protect them from underneath. Any Suggestions?

Apodemus

I'd find other things to worry about!  An abandoned patch of ground will have all manner of grubs in it, most of which will pose no threat to future use of the plot.  Digging it over will have helped the birds get to them, disturbed their ability to securely pupate and removed their food source.  Sounds like you've already largely solved any problem!

twopenny

You think they are but you're not sure? So many varieties of worm too.

Wondering if it could be crane fly larvae as I've been making a garden on land that's never been cultivated and it was just full of these white grubs with brown eyes. I collected them into a plastic tray and left them for the birds. There's no sign of them after the first year of digging.

If you're still suspicious use plant collars on what you grow. Easy to make. There's a bunch of ideas here if you're right

https://www.almanac.com/pest/cutworms

away-with-the-fairies

Thank you. I have dug over the patch again a few times and every time I see one now I save it in a bucket and relocate them to a patch of wasteland. There are definitely a lot less than there were before anyway!