This Spring there seem to be grubs all over my garden, in just about any handful of dirt you flip over. There are lots of articles about how to handle grubs in your lawn, but I don't have a lawn, just a vegetable garden.
(Left image is public domain from Wikipedia. Right is from my garden.)
I have a couple of raised beds, currently empty, where I'm planning on planting tomatoes and artichokes. Are grubs damaging to those plants? If so, what can I do about them?
I also have a half-barrel with a Valencia orange tree in it. The soil seems to be full of grubs. If I turn over a handful with a small trowel I find a grub about 1 in 3 tries. I don't want to dig down and risk harming the roots, so I can only see the grubs near the top. They never come above the soil, and I haven't seen any beetles on or near the tree. The tree seems to be doing fine, but I'm concerned. Will the grubs be a problem? What can I do about them without harming the tree?