Unidentified worms on my cabbage Please help!!!!

[GreenThumbTaran]

I have attached a picture of what they look like. They seem to stay underground during the day and come out at night. They have attacked my cabbage and I have since pulled them and am scared they will get my tomato's pickles next....Can anyone tell me what they are and how to get rid of them? I don't want them coming back next year. I live in Minnesota.

[GardeningCook]

That's a Slug. Serious night-feeder that hides during the day under mulch or frankly anything on the ground that provides good hiding space. There are quite a few remedies out there depending on how organic you want to go. Small containers (like jar lids) filled with beer attract & then drown them. Some folks swear by spreading ground barriers of Diatomaceous Earth or even crushed eggshells around plants, since it's considered that the slugs don't like to crawl across it. There's also a commercially-available product called "Sluggo" (https://www.pestproducts.com/sluggo.htm) that's supposed to be very effective. You may need to experiment to see what works best for you.

[CharlieBear]

Many people just go out with a flash light at night and pick them up, cut in 1/2 and drop in water. My husband prefers dawn and he picks them and steps on them. Beer sometimes works, but many slugs are immune to it already. The idea of barriers is to do it before the plant you think is likely to attract slugs before the slugs arrive, after it doesn't do much good. "Sluggo" is a natural compound that if the slugs eat it they feel full and so they starve to death. The problem for you is that the slugs don't drop dead where you can see them, so it is hard to tell how well it is working. If you see them you should always remove them and kill them.