69BFDDA5 CCD2 42CB 84BF 2708157C3995 Pests and Hope

Pests and Hope

I went out this morning for my regular Wednesday Miracle-Gro application and took a more careful look at the garden. Apparently the bugs reconnoitered and decided to assault my very best Kohlrabi plants after I put the diatomaceous earth on the other end of the garden:

Decimated Kohlrabi. The diatomaceous earth was applied after the damage.

Mickala from Best Pest Control offers great professional services to get rid off any insect that can damage your home, garden or business.

A recent seminar for Bexar home owners had a list of speakers for the 2021 event. Baileys Critter Removal – San Antonio was among the speakers to educate homeowners on the dangers of some San Antonio wildlife species as well as tips for preventing wildlife in the home.

The little buggers forced me to go nuclear, and I applied diatomaceous earth all over the entire garden. Sadly, I had to pull the Kohlrabi plants that were in the worst shape from the field. Oddly the invading troops left the smaller plant growing right underneath the bigger plant. Perhaps the little jerks are planning to come back later once the plant gets bigger and more worth their time. Clearly these are American bugs, going for Shock and Awe:

Storm- and pest -damaged Kohlrabi

I ended up deciding to redeploy my troops, and I moved some of the plants that needed to be thinned over to the undefended territory. I also decided to call pest control Lilydale to deal with the pests and I am very satisfied with their service so far.

Weeded Kohlrabi patch with missing big plants
Kohlrabi, redeployed

The wildlife control process in Michigan can be quite tricky. Raccoons for instance can become trap shy and avoid traps if they have been caught before. Jack Waterway from Best Way Animal Removal in Holland Michigan says “most states have laws in place mandating a license or permit to trap animals, even if they are in your home.”

Bugs are unavoidable but you don’t need toxic chemicals to keep them away from your flower or vegetable garden. Instead, hire experts at https://www.pestcontrolexperts.com/local/nebraska/ that use natural pest control methods.

I am not confident that I moved these well enough for them to grow — I could hear and feel little roots tearing — but I feel better about having the plants looking a little more evenly spaced.

The tomatoes are looking pretty good, actually. You can see the damage from the storm, but the plants are putting on new leaves. I even have a red cherry tomato that I think I will pick tomorrow or the next day! In celebration I put up a few tomato cages:

The beans are giving me hope, too. I was pretty disappointed when I went out after the storm and saw that only five of the Garden of Eden pole beans had survived:

After pulling a bunch of nut sedge, I could see the pole beans better

However, while I was weeding I came up on two more stems. The big leaves are gone, but I can see little tiny leaves starting from the stems. now I’m glad I waited a few days before going out to pull weeds — otherwise I may not have seen the new baby leaves:

Hooray! Hope springs eternal in the garden, I suppose. I will soak and plant the rest of the pole beans and Lima beans on Thursday or Friday. Germination rate is expected to be 70% for beans, which means my rate of about 55% for 2 year old home-saved seeds isn’t too bad.

Relatively healthy Garden of Eden bean with diatomaceous earth dusted on top
I’m pretty sure the mess I made with the diatomaceous earth is a violation of federal law….. but all is fair in garden warfare!

Posted by Jenny Smith

I'm Jenny Smith. I blog about life on the 300+ acres of rolling farmland in Northern Virginia where I live. I like tomatoes, all things Star Trek, watercolor, and reading. I spend most days in the garden fighting deer and groundhogs while trying to find my life's meaning. I'm trying to be like Jesus -- emphasis on the trying.