I find myself in this same place. A lot of my early seedlings were eaten by deer, but the ones that survived have lost leaves to bugs eating chunks out of them.

Do I sevin or not sevin? Is it more important to be 'organic' or get a good yield? Dilute soap doesn't seem to be cutting it...

Personally, I think I'm gonna monitor my seedlings like a hawk when I put the rest out and if they get eaten much Sevin will be going on all of it.

It depends on the pest. But prevention is nearly always a cheaper option and more environmentally friendly option.

Some pests are damaging only during certain life cycles. If you can block your crops with a row cover during that life cycle then you can prevent all damage.

Some pests are only active certain times of the year. If a pest is ravaging a certain spring crop, try to see if there is a fall variety and plant it then.

Also some pests prefer certain native plants or weeds. If you let them grow on your property, they'll go over to munch on those. Meanwhile, plant your veggies while they're distracted.

I have japanese beetles as well as squash bugs and I've been able to successfully save my crops just by doing diligent hand picking at first light. My JB season begins in early June and lasts until late July. After that, they leave my yard and the rest of the days are free.

I have squash vine borer issues so I don't plant hollow stemmed ramblers until mid June when most borer moths are finished laying their eggs.

Cabbage moths lay most their eggs in the summer in my area. I plant brassicas early in the year and have zero cabbage worm problems. Unfortunately, I never have fall broccoli either. *weep*

If I were you, I'd call my Cooperative Extension office and ask them about the major garden pests and how to prevent damage. Vigilance is key. If you have't yet, keep a garden journal to document when your pests appear so that you're not caught by surprise.

I try to take nontoxic preventive measures. Dusting leaves with diatomaceous earth works fairly well in deterring cabbage worms and has some effect on flea beetles, and scatching wood ashes into the soil around brassicas is supposed to help with cabbage root maggot. I handpick slugs, potato beetles, Japanese beetles and cucumber beetles.

I agree with joannaqcw - non-toxic prevention measures, sure. Row covers, weed control, pest patrols, hand picking, etc.

But using toxic things that seep into soil and ground water, on and into foods, into the air you breathe and that also kill all the beneficial insects on the off chance that some bad guys "might" show up or some damage "might" be done has never made much sense to me. It's kind of like cutting off your garden's nose to spite its face.

90% of the bugs in the garden are beneficials or neutrals and things like Sevin are just as toxic to them, in some cases even more toxic. So look at the odds - why wipe out the 9 good guys just to get the one bad guy? ;)

Now there may come a time when you have to resort to the toxic controls for a major infestation. And when applied correctly and used following label directions which many don't do, they can be safe and effective. But they are control oriented, not prevention oriented.

Dave

Companion planting, then "wait and see", then soap spray, hand-picking and/or DE are my methods for pests. Amended soil (compost, compost, compost) and healthy plants are a big part of the overall plan. For really serious pests, row covers - I would have to use them for broccoli & eggplant. But generally, I opt to grow what works without the extensive measures. My gardening is strenuous enough! LOL The local farmer's market provides what I cannot, and very reasonably too.

hahaha...tomacco...love the name. =) On the subject of this post, I rarely ever use any pesticide spray or whatever on my plants until they go outside. Even then, I rarely spray them unless they have pests or show signs of possible infestation (chewed leaves & such). When I do use something, Liquid Sevin is good, but IMO the GardenSafe organic pesticides actually work so much better.