Diatomaceous Earth will solve your problems very easily, perhaps not this
year but in all the years to come that you plant any type of root crop. I
had a terrible problem with wormy things in my onion crops and also in my
root crops, especially carrot and radish. I'd take a scoop of D.E. run a
good line of it down the row where I was planting the crop (onions, leeks,
radishes, carrots, turnips, etc.) that could be plagued by wormy things, mix
it in a bit and then plant my seeds. When the seeds had come up to a point
where I would weed or hoe on either side of the row I'd lay down another
line of D.E. on either side of the row and mix it down into the soil. This
was all it took for the entire growing season to eliminate the nasties. I
also ringed my pepper plants with it, worked it into the soil a bit and no
more cut worms. Works great! I never lost another veggie to grubs or worms
in the soil. Problem solved in a very easy, chemical free way. To sprinkle
it over the tops of my newly forming cauliflower heads and down onto
anything (like leeks) that may have eggs laid from above I put some D.E. in
an old salt shaker and tapped it when holding it over the plant. The only
caution is to wear a mask so you don't breathe the dust. I just used a
bandana "hold-up style. If you get much on your hands you might find that it
can cause very dry skin. I never wore gloves but it might be a problem if
you have a tendency toward sensitive, dry skin. I was selective in where I
spread D.E., I didn't blanket the entire garden with it, just the possible
trouble spots, since it will nail the good guys as well as the bad.

Nutritionally it's also a plus in veggie gardens. I read some years ago
where Washington State University did a study of vegetables, especially
green leafy crops, grown in soil with the addition of D.E. had a higher
calcium content than those grown without D.E. in the soil. Cook up those
greens. A nice serving of greens and a good gulp of pot likker will supply
you with more readily absorbable calcium than milk, no offense to the cows.

Val

wrote in message
...
Hello,
Something is eating away at my leeks. Small larvae type grub or worms
2 - 5 mm in size are found well down between the base of the leaves.
They leave behind a trail of mushy green debris. I think that they are
probably onion maggots. Is this possible, and is there anyway of
getting rid of them? I really like my leek and potato soup so any help
or advice is very appreciated.

Thanks,
John