Beneficial Nematodes to Control Flea Beetles

Our garden was infested with flea beetles, the soil was just teaming with them. We had the variety that attacks eggplants as well as the variety that attacks cole crops like cabbage, Asian greens, etc. They were so bad even the tomato plants were badly damaged, normally tomato plants can outgrow the damage caused by their feeding because flea beetles much prefer eggplants.

For the past two years I've been applying beneficial nematodes in the spring because high temperatures during shipping can kill the nematodes. The spring after the first application saw a noticeable reduction in the flea beetle population, especially the one that prefers brassicas/cole crops. The spring after the second application coincided with minimal flea beetle damage to brassicas, although the eggplants were still getting eaten up by flea beetles.

This spring I've noticed no beetle damage on peppers or tomato plants while they've been in the greenhouse or on the front porch, and last fall I had planted the whole garden in greens, turnips, and radishes and there wasn't any damage then either. Another thing I noticed is a lessening in the mosquito population this year, normally they are everywhere in the grass and garden. But it's hard to say whether the diminished number of mosquitoes is due to the cold spring.

Beneficial nematodes prey on larva of insects that live in the soil, so it won't have an affect immediately on the adult beetles, mosquitoes, etc. But they should have an affect on subsequent generations, especially as the beneficial nematode population increases with time.

Bush beans Have Sprouted and Replacing More Tomatoes Due to Bird Damage

The bush beans have been sprouting. So exciting. There's 2 rows of snap/French beans and 2 rows of dry beans. But the Black Turtle beans are a complete no show. Bummer.

Yesterday I replanted 22 tomato plants that were destroyed by critters. So in all, I've had to replace 44 tomato plants. It's mostly birds I see in the garden so I always blame them.

Funny enough, the tiny emergency tomato plants have gained quite a bit of size so they're actually good sized plants.

Flea beetles have been going nuts on the tomato plants, sucking so much life out of the plants they actually haven't been growing. The weeds that the flea beetles normally feed on are gone and the eggplants haven't been planted yet, so I've had to dust the plants with diatomaceous earth. I managed to crush about 2 to 5 beetles on each plant before I dusted them.

Now that it's supposed to be dry for a week, the diatomaceous earth should work. Hopefully.

Unending Rain

 A few rows of bush beans are up, but there's spotty germination and limas on the right are missing.

 Those dull black specks are flea beetles. Some of the eggplants are completely shredded.

On the far end of the broccoli bed dog prints have been found and leaves broken off. 

So much rain. Unending days of rain. The ground is a soggy mess. I haven't been able to do much of anything in the garden except tiptoe around the edges and snap a few pictures. At least the bush green beans are up. Although the germination was very very spotty in some rows and nonexistent when it comes to the lima beans.

It actually started raining while I was out seeding the last bed on May 15th with cucumbers, bitter melon, luffa, Delicata squash, and melons. The pole beans will just have to be planted at a later date, and I couldn't find the seed packet for the Papaya squash. Ah well. Eventually the bed will get trellised.

Hardly any of the Pinkeye Purple Hull summer peas have emerged, so I will probably be replanting the bed with some fast growing gai lan and some yu choy. Once the gai lan and yu choy are finished the bed will be planted in Brussels sprouts.

The Catskills and Brawny Brussels sprouts seed packets say 90 days to maturation, which sounds crazy to me. Doesn't it take like 5 months or more to get Brussels sprouts?

Flea beetles are everywhere. They're decimating the eggplants, the smaller plants now have leaves that are see-through. And they've started eating the tomato plants. The rain means I can't keep the plants dusted with diatomaceous earth, so I'll probably have to figure something else out.

A Few Tomato Seedlings Succumb to Sunstroke

The plants had been hardening off outside during the past week, trying to get them used to the great outdoors. For a couple days the clouds rolled away and the sun has been bearing down, leading to the sad demise of a few tomato plants. Now they are a shadow of their former selves with their brown desiccated leaves and crumpled lifeless forms. Good thing there are so many extra tomato plants.

The eggplants and peppers are doing great, they are still fairly small but forming lots of new leaves. I will probably purchase a few sweet pepper plants and hopefully some serrano and anaheim peppers, if I can find them. The popsicle sticks are plant labels for when they go out in the garden.

Temperatures are forecasted to be dangerously close to freezing tonight, so the frost sensitive plants are spending the night indoors for their protection. I found green aphids on the pepper plants and a single flea beetle on an eggplant, so after squishing them I dusted the plants with diatomaceous earth to catch any new hatchlings or bugs I might have missed.

Organic Methods of Pest Control Against Slugs, Flea Beetles, and Aphids

In case you have been wondering, the growing bok choy from the supermarket experiment has ended. They had seen too many days of cold and began to send up a flower stalk once the weather had warmed. So I dug the bok choy out of their pots and replaced them with mint plants from the store, the larger bok choy had a fantastic root system that filled its planter.

This sweet mint has a beautiful spearmint scent. I am going to let it get a bit bigger before harvesting its leaves.

This chocolate mint has the sweetest scent and I find the darker leaves very interesting. Once the mint plants get established in their pots, I will start dividing the plants to get as much mint as possible. Mint is probably too invasive to plant out in the garden in Kentucky, although it was never a problem in the desert when I had it planted in the flower beds with the other perennial herbs.

At night I go out and check on the outside potted plants to see if the eggshells are working against slugs. Looks like the slugs were still hanging out in the newly seeded pots, they were usually found just on the outside perimeter of the pots so it looks like the eggshells are keeping the slimy creatures at bay. But keeping them at bay just isn't enough for me. Even with all the eggshells I've been hoarding all winter for amending the soil, there certainly won't be enough eggshells to protect the whole garden.

So I headed to the home and garden store to pick up some diatomaceous earth which is an organic method of pest control. Food grade diatomaceous earth is an inert abrasive powder oftentimes used in toothpaste and it is supposed to damage exoskeletons of insects like flea beetles, Japanese beetles, squash bugs, and stink bugs by absorbing lipids and thus causing them to dry out and die. This product is also supposed to work for gastropods (slugs) as well as aphids. It is supposed to be harmless to earthworms which is a must. Since it affects most insects I plan on only applying it to the plants that are usually directly affected by these pests. This product will need to be reapplied after watering or a rainfall.

Since diatomaceous earth works by the physical action of dehydrating insects, it is a slow process. I cannot see using it where there is already an infestation of insects, especially since getting the product wet inactivates its drying action. Perhaps it will work as a preventative measure against the eggplant's nemesis, flea beetles.

Sluggo is another organic method to use against slugs that works immediately, I used it on the bok choy planters and the very next day there were less slugs. Sluggo is a biodegradable slug bait pellet containing iron phosphate which is supposed to kill slugs. I ordered it off of Amazon. Once the garden is planted I will probably try to put the slug bait around the seedlings right before nightfall, since slugs mostly come out at night. Mostly.

The great thing about Sluggo is that it actually stops slugs from feeding right after they consume it and then they go off to die. Plus it's safe for wildlife, pets, and humans.

The cilantro is germinating ever so slowly. It has been more than 2 weeks and the cilantro is just finally starting to come up.

I cannot tell if this is the red bunching onion or garlic chives. One of the planters failed to sprout, I will just have to wait for them to grow up to figure it out.

The spinach seedlings are growing very well. I have directly seeded spinach in the ground every year we have lived in this house, and have never been able to harvest a single leaf because the slugs are such menace here. I finally got the bright idea of starting the spinach in pots.

So much spinach. Seeing them makes me downright giddy. The seedlings will need to be planted out in the garden soon, and then they will be protected with a nice sprinkling of Sluggo.

But for the time being, all the potted plants are sitting on a table in the back yard.