So here is an update. I did buy beneficial nematodes. First batch was the Steinerneima Feltiae from Amazon (Scanmask is the company). Weeks later I see no difference. I even set up a rubbermaid 18 gallon bin filled with 4-5 inches of compost that was moist and used the remainder of the beneficial nematodes mixed in the compost well and then I introduced several grubs and mealworms expecting them to be dead in 48 hours or so. Weeks later the worms are still alive and so are the grubs, so I am guessing the beneficial nematodes weren't even alive. Before I saw the lack of results from the first batch, I bought 2 other varieties from buglogical.com (Heterohabditis and the Steinernema Carpocapsae). With the 3 different strains of Beneficial Nematodes I was expecting joy but several weeks later I still see no difference. With these 3 varieties I should not still see ant mounds or slugs or the grubs. By the way I ordered 50 million of the last 2 varieties in which they claim 50 million would cover a half acre. The area I treated was less than 1/10 of an acre, heck probably 200 square feet. Using 2 of the 50 million batches is would effectively cover a whole acre and I still don't see results in a small 200 sq foot area which tells me these things weren't alive. I also started 2 other containers with compost and added 2 different strains in each container and added mealworms and grubs and they werent dead within 2 or 3 days and are still alive today over 2 weeks later, again telling me the beneficial nematodes were not alive. So to make a long story short $200 spent and no results. Very disappointed.

This is lovely. Keep rambling! I love to hear about other's garden adventures. I also do not know any other gardeners locally, although I do get to talk to my sister on the phone about our respective gardens. Your path is really beautiful and co-ordinates well with the fencing. Plus, all the plants look so healthy. The neighbors maple is a nice addition too. The only thing I can think of is trying for a kid's garden in the center plot. A bean teepee and some towering sunflowers or maybe a 3 sisters corn/bean/squash mound just to model interesting plant interactions. Although it looks as though you may have already filled it up with some goodies since there are plants in the pic.

Glad I read the posts on this thread! Worms have been an issue for me also lately, different ones I'm not sure which is which. The large green guys (cabbage worms?), webworms, and a black cp with a stripe down it's back that I have no idea what is....lots of those on calendula seedlings this late spring, a few now. I've also found green inchworms on my new roman chamomile, well underneath. I would've never seen them if I hadn't gone after the slug on the plants. Being an "organic" gardener, this means I hand pick and squish these guys usually....but it's so bad I was wondering about bt. Now that I see it's only effective if they are young...what do I do? Time to spend handpicking is limited now, and the green guys are hard to spot....even with all the poop. Any suggestions? I never see the eggs....only the worms. Can bt be used as a preventative measure?

During the change of ingredients required for pressure treating wood(removing the arsenic part) the replacement for arsenic was more copper compounds. The old---CCA-Chromated Copper Arsenate The new---ACQ-Alkaline copper quaternary There was such a demand for the new product(since it was widely reported CCA was illegal and unavailable) that treatment facilities rushed production of the ACQ which cause much of the supply to be under treated. That caused a huge amount of product that has done exactly what you experienced---rot sooner than usual. But, that was over ten years ago---a long time in the construction industry and in the retail clerk longevity situation. I'd venture saying I'd wager that only about 2% of all the BORG floor staff on the job now were on the job 10 years ago. Another gotcha is how you built the deck. By covering the deck portion, you caused a condition where moisture could not easily dry out. The hastened the rot of the insufficiently treated wood. A third gotcha is modern trees being grown for construction lumber. The trees are grown much faster, resulting in wider growth rings and much less dense wood grain. That increases the type of wood fiber that rots the most easily, treated or not. Lastly, there were several caveats about fasteners to be used with ACQ---since the extra copper compounds cause steel and iron to be attacked and chemically altered. Single galvanizing was at first thought to be sufficient, but later found to be not enough. Double galvanized was then recommended, but double galvanizing screws is darn near impossible and still have a useable product. The newer metal formulations of the now prevalent deck screws is successful. Also, there are more than one type of pressure treatments. The lumber you bought was not intended to be used where trapped moisture was a daily situation. The lack of sufficient treatment(basically leaving the center of the boards untreated) was the culprit. If you can supply the necessary proof, Lowe's should honor the warranty and replace the lumber. I doubt they will supply labor or other expenses. Best fix in my experience would be to remove the tile/etc. on the deck, replace/rebuild with properly treated earth contact rated PT wood---and use brush on treatment for cuts made on the job. Then use composite flooring and a moveable grill protector for the grill(metal pan/etc.)