Bite Marks

I am still learning what is beneficial or a nuisance in my garden. Sometimes I squash a beneficial bug and later I vow to remember the bug next time and refrain from squishing it.

This infestation started last spring, and it was a different bite mark than the resident grasshoppers. Grasshoppers eat my leaves from the outside in, like a human eating a sandwhich. This was an invisible pest leaving tiny shotgun holes on the leaves of my Brassicas. Last year, I ignored the almost microscopic holes hoping nature would re-balance itself, but if the plant survived the shotgun holes, the produce tasted bitter.

2 different bugs, 2 different marks

This spring it is happening again. Invisible bugs devouring all my sprouts; bok choy, green beans, arugula, kale, kohlrabi, Asian greens and tatsoi! Grrr!

The new leaves are so small that its surface area is crucial for photosynthesizing. If most of the leaf’s surface area is gone, survival decreases. Clearly, this problem is not going away and I love eating Brassicas so I need to step in and find a solution. After some research, it has become clear that I am dealing with flea beetles! Yes, they jump which makes them seem almost invisible. I wish I could put a collar around my garden to make them go away, but the solution isn’t quite as simple.

I now have a weekly evening chore of spraying top and bottom of my micro greens after the good bugs have gone to bed.  We try to keep everything clean and organically grown on our ranch, so I cautiously accept that I need to spray and also purchase beneficial nematodes before the plants turn bitter or die. Captain Jack, here I come! I can’t ignore these jumping jerks anymore. 

Not to be used with ice in a glass.

Meanwhile, we broke ground on the solar barn! An exciting turn of events is taking shape right before my eyes. As the dust flies, and the days grow longer, I feel a renewed belief in the power of dreams and manifesting. My patience for living in an RV with our two daughters has been recharged. With so much on the horizon, it is sometimes hard to contain myself and put pen to paper.

Until next time...