Those Tiny Holes in Your Fall Vegetables Are Trying to Tell You Something

Tiny holes in fall vegetable leaves can reveal whether flea beetles, caterpillars, slugs, or other garden pests are doing the damage, so inspect leaves closely before treating the problem – Shutterstock

Those tiny holes appearing in fall vegetables are more than ugly little souvenirs from the garden. They can point toward the particular pest nibbling away at leaves, and the shape, size, and location of the damage can help narrow down the culprit.

A few ragged leaves do not automatically mean a garden disaster, but ignoring the evidence can give hungry insects plenty of time to turn dinner into a skeleton. The good news for gardeners is that the leaves themselves often provide clues, almost like a tiny detective story written in green.