Onion Maggots--yewwwwww

                                                            

Is there anything more disgusting than maggots? Hate those pests. And this year, we have problems with them in our onions. It's been cold and wet, ideal conditions for them. We probably should have rotated the onion crops, but we didn't. It is impossible to get rid of them now. 

The Weekend Gardener has an extensive discussion on these nasty critters. Check out the site. This photo is from that e-mag and there are more good images of the disgusting creatures.

My DH has decided to grow onions in a container for this year instead of planting them in our ground. He will have to do some work on the soil to get rid of the maggots.

Raccoon Raid the Garden

No, don't you dare say, "Oh how cute, a little raccoon." Raccoons are not cute. Not after they raided our sweet corn two nights ago. They ransacked the ready-to-eat ears of corn gorging themselves on at least 15 -20. My DH was shocked. We have never had raccoon in our garden, although we are now getting reports of the critters in other folks' gardens this season. We even have an electric fence adjusted to stop rabbits that didn't seem to phase these hungry pests.

Deer, chipmunks, and bunny rabbits are not cute anymore either. LOL...not when they are varmints in our garden and stealing and ruining our food. 

There are some suggestions in a post on Critters Keep Away to help control varmints in your garden. Raccoon wasn't even on my radar at the time I wrote it. I ask in that post from two years ago, how do you keep the critters out of your garden and I am asking again today--"What can we do?"

I would truly appreciate your input on this.

Slimy Slugs Update

Yes, we are still battling slugs, those voracious creatures that look like shell-less snails. Read my post  Grudge Against Slugs, June 15.

In that post I reported that my DH sprayed the veggies with a mixture of water and ammonia receiving slight victory. It didn't last.

Last week my brother-in-law was here for a visit. Although he tried to drink all the beer he bought in the 24 case pack while here, he couldn't. I understand that after being cooled, beer is no good if it warms up and then re-cooled. So he left it for us....we, who are not beer drinkers...However, we discovered the slugs love, love, love it!

Ted put it out in the garden and immediately attracted herds of slugs. He is elated with the results.
We will definitely use this weapon next year for battling these disgusting pests.

A Grudge Against Slugs

Yeewwwwww----there is nothing more disconcerting than cleaning a beautiful head of Might Joe lettuce and discovering slugs....Slugs, imagine a snail without its shell, are a problem for us this year. These slimy creatures which could star in a B Hollywood horror movie are voracious eaters and leave a trail of slime on the plants as they eat through your garden at night.

They love moist habitat, so if overwatering or rains occur, be prepared to battle the nasty invaders.

There are many home gardeners methods of ridding the garden of slugs. The simplest is to hunt them down and squish them or take a salt shaker to the garden in the night. Shaking salt on them will cause the slug to dry out, but don't over do it since salt is deadly for growing plants.

We also have the drinkers solution to killing plants. Placing a saucer of beer near the infested area will draw the slugs for party time, but when they decide to crawl in for a sip, they will drown in the beer. Be sure the saucer is deep enough that the slimy creature can't crawl out after imbibing. Spreading coffee grounds is a much touted method of killing slugs, however, we have not used them. From research on the Internet it appears that it is more of a wive's tale that coffee grounds actually kill, but may be a deterrent. Most of the information does not give credence to the use of coffee grounds.

My DH mixed up a combination of one part ammonia to nine parts water and sprayed only in the areas where he found slugs in our lettuces. He said the varmints aren't so evident now, but it could be that the areas are drier now.

Do you have any ideas on killing these disgusting creatures? We would all be much obliged to hear your method. Thanks.