what a great idea -- thanks!! I'll start doing the same thing!

kewl idea! I've been washing them out and cutting the spouts out of them to hang for feeders for my ducks. This is a great idea! Thanx for sharing!!!

As a child, my first garden job was to place 1-2 toothpick sized wood slivers alongside tomato, cole, pepper and eggplants. Been doing this all my life and never lost a plant to cutworms.
cella jane

Confirm the toothpic useage. I've been doing it for 50 some years and it works well and is cheap!

Funny, I just had a spout fall out of my laundry soap yesterday and was wondering what they could be used for!

Good idea.

Could the toothpicks stuck in the ground around hosta keep away slugs:????

I have read on several sites the same thing, but no one has said how it works. Could someone explain what the worm does or does not do when the toothpick/matchstick is there, that it normally does not do? Thank You

weezle1, I don't think the toothpicks (I use bamboo skewers) work against slugs. Look below for home-made slug bait and traps.

An alternative to toothpicks, in link below, scroll down to Digdirt's solution: cornmeal

baili, scroll down to my entry in the link for how the toothpicks work (Gardenlad's explanation).

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Materials for home-made slug bait and container:

Wheat Flour: all-purpose or bread flour
Water
Gallon jugs w/handle, empty, & clean (like milk and water jugs)
Bucket
A two-inch-wide piece of wood (like a section of shingle), or kitchen utensil, for stirring.

In a bucket, mix flour and cold water, to get a slurry. Let stand. How much depends on how many traps you plan on setting.

Prepare the gallon container:
With scissors (not a mat knife!), cut an opening opposite the handle, half-way up the container, leaving the bottom half of container intact for the liquid contents. The cut opening is for the slugs to get into the container.

Pour an inch or two of flour slurry into each jug and leave the jugs where needed in your garden.

Not pretty but effective. The slugs can't resist the bait and crawl onto/into the jug and drown themselves. Some slugs are shy and need a little push for the dive. I've caught hundreds of slugs this way, but there are thousands more.

Cover jugs' top opening to prevent rain from diluting the bait. Plastic wrap+elastic band works if the caps got lost.

Here is a link that might be useful: If you had a cutworm problem in 2 raised beds....

The toothpick works because the cutworm feels all the way around the stem before he bites into it. If it doesn't feel tender all the way around, he moves on...