For me it was an ongoing battle gently running my fingers over all new pepper growth, obsessively

but that did work without having to use natural pesticides. I am hoping to get results from composting marigolds and see if putting that in the soil helps.
Sweet potatos are so cute!
I've tried them but can't get them to overwinter here, although s gardener in Ottawa Ontario put together instructions on how to grow them there using black plastic to keep their feet warm, poking their heads through holes. But Ottawa gets 3 more weeks of growing season than I do, and I had to give up. German rooted parsley works though -- not quite the same, but some of the squash are close in taste to sweet potatoes too -- or that's what I tell myself. All mashed up together it's good, and I have learned to eat what grows!