A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2003 Caterpillar?

Late in the day yesterday my daughter Paige found caterpillars (?) in my ailing vegetable garden. I guess they're caterpillars, the biggest ones are about 3/4 inch long, but we found tiny babies also. They are olive green, with a pale green strip down either side of their bodies. If they're a "good" caterpillar I don't want to hurt them. But if they're responsible for my veggie garden failing, then I want to identify them and know how to deal with them for next season.

Any ideas?

Ronni

Hi Ronni,

Were they on all your vegetables, or just one particular kind?

Hey Bob,

They were on the cucumber plants--which have bolted but the're still growing. I didn't immediately see any on what's left of the tomato or bell pepper plants.

Ronni

Ronnie,
On what part of your cuc-plants did you find the caterpillars? It sounds to me like sawfly, but I don't know if they're a problem in your area. They usually only attack grasses, but will eat other foliage too. Do you see any damage to leaf or stem, and what kind of damage do you have on your other plants?