Oh, Garden

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Since Andrew has been out of town a lot this summer, I have somewhat neglected our vegetable garden. I’ve been great at keeping weeds at bay, but not so great at taking the time to look. This means, of course, that I have completely overlooked signs of damage from pests that are easy to control until it was too late.

This is the cabbage moth : small green caterpillars which love most of the plants we love: kale, broccoli, cabbage. It has devastated our kale in just 4 short (hot) days.DSC_0006

This is the swallowtail butterfly young: large and striped, loves to feed on carrot tops, parsley, and dill.DSC_0013

And while picking these creatures off your plants early on can prevent some of the damage, I’m afraid we’re far beyond that stage and are going to have to go on all-out attack mode with Bt spray, an organic pesticide that is safe for other beneficial insects, but gets rid of caterpillars and the eggs they hatch from. And next year, I will have to stay on top of this problem, along with white flies and squash boles.

It honestly just breaks my heart to see all of those beautiful plants destroyed so fast. And considering how much kale our family goes through every week, it is a real bummer. I guess we will be seeing less of this sight; fresh lovely (and only slightly nibbled) kale harvested just last month:DSC_0037

But maybe we can save a few plants? I hope??? At least our butternut squash is coming along nicely!

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A learning process, this surely is! Have you had any problems with pests in your garden? Have any tips on keeping these suckers out?

7 thoughts on “Oh, Garden”
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  1. We have those same exact bugs. I sacrificed my dill plant to the swallow tail caterpillars, and we have enough parsley to go around too! But ugh, those green ones on the kale. We almost became insect eaters the other day when I almost failed to notice some after washing! 🙂 I have been remiss the past couple of weeks, but I found a recipe for a natural spray that I had been using. Steep 1 minced garlic clove in 1 T. of mineral oil overnight. Strain out the garlic and add the oil to 2 cups of water along with 2 t. dish soap (any kind). This is now your concentrate. Add 1-2 T. of the concentrate to a pint of water and spray on plants. Just test it first to make sure it doesn’t damage them – it was fine for our kale and collard greens but damaged beet leaves.

  2. Thanks, Liz. I will save this for next summer… because unfortunately, I don’t think any of our kale is going to make it. I actually just planted some new plants for our fall crop and will keep an eye on those. So sad!

  3. Oh, you know I feel your pain… 😉 We’re looking at hitting the reset button with the fall crops of kale and broccoli in my sister’s garden, too. I think you’re right: A lot of it is just catching this stuff early and staying on top of it, because it’s really hard to make up lost ground with those danged bugs. Good luck with it!

  4. Oh sad. Kale is the staple for our family. Consider looking into a “kale tree”/ walking stick kale. It’s an annual provider that doesn’t die off easily.

  5. Sorry your garden was attacked. We’re in this boat too. Our squash has dry mold for the fourth year in a row and our kale is still edible but it’s being snacked on. Our beans are completely destroyed. Our tomatoes caught some late blight (but honestly I’ve eaten my weight in tomatoes and without the time to process and store any of them, I’m okay with it). Always so sad to see those veggies succumb to pests, and I’m terrible at controlling it. Goals for next year!

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