Blister Beetle - Image via Wikipedia
On every stem, on every leaf,… and at the root of everything that grew, was a professional specialist in the shape of grub, caterpillar, aphis, or other expert, whose business it was to devour that particular part. ~Oliver Wendell Holmes
It’s hard enough dealing with the distance of a remote garden, even with low expectations. Add in drought conditions and an abundance of pests, and I’m just glad enough that we got anything out of what I planted this year.
It started first with the blister beetles, attacking first the potatoes and then the tomato plants, and later moving on the to pole beans. The tomato hornworms came next, lopping off the tops of the dozen tomato plants. After that, it was the turn of the grasshoppers.
This is a bumper year for the little bastards, I’m told. You can run through certain sections of the garden and the pasture, and the hoppers will almost bruise you with their impact as they fly around. One of them even got into the back of my shirt, making me do the chicken dance. And such appetites! Here’s a picture of the cucumber and melon patch, early in the season. Even with the blister beetles doing their best, the cucurbits were holding up well:
All is well on Cucumber Lane (dateline: Mid June) (ginormous cuckes in the foreground)
Yellow watermelon peeking through the leaves - you can see the black droppings of the blister beetles on the leaf at top of the photo
Then, came the grasshopper apocalypse:
Aftermath: grasshoppers ate the leaves, and terrapins took care of the cantaloupes and watermelons
Two-legged creatures we are supposed to love as we love ourselves. The four-legged, also, can come to seem pretty important. But six legs are too many from the human standpoint. ~Joseph W. Krutch
There are any number of ways to deal with blister beetles and grasshoppers without resorting to chemicals. My neighbors apply Sevin pesticide in liberal doses. I choose not to go that way since I prefer to keep things organic, not to mention that chemical pesticides also kill beneficial insects such as bees and assassin bugs. This weekend I’ll be taking BT spray and Neem oil concentrate, and see how the garden has fared through another week of grasshopper hell.
The large tomato hornworms were easy enough to deal with, if only a little time consuming. Although they’re quite large (getting up to six inches long) their green color makes them blend well in plants they haven’t completely denuded yet. Camouflage doesn’t work so well when they’ve been so damn greedy. I plucked each one by hand and speared them with a pocket knife. Repeatedly, for revenge. I hope they suffered.
If we lived out there year round, we’d have chickens, guinea hens and Muscovy ducks to help keep insects down, but since we don’t, we’ll just adapt. One way is just to plant crops which aren’t much affected by pests, such as onions and garlic, and to a lesser extent, potatoes. I may also make use of garlic concentrate sprays, which allegedly hoppers don’t like. For the melon-eating turtles, I think I’m just going to plant some extra next season. The little critters are just too cute, and they probably worked hard to get to the melon patch. Yet another way is to philosophically look at hoppers in a different light: they make excellent fishing bait. I was told this week that a good way to catch them is to spread a flannel blanket on the grass, and “herd” the hoppers towards it. Their hooked feet catch in the fibers of the blanket, and you can collect them at your leisure. Tied to a 2/0 or 3/0 hook with a small rubber band, they make an excellent topwater bait for catfish.
Even considering the pests, the harvests weren’t too bad, a good return on time invested:
Red Norland Potatoes in mid June - note the pink ladderback chairs - Mrs. 101 is frankly out of control with the pink - the kitchen looks like it's been hit by a Pinkalanche!
Late June Harvest: cukes, cabbages, potatoes, peppers, and onions
Mid July: The Yukon gold potatoes were HUGE!
Early August - production is declining
Enjoyed the post, I also have hoppers in my garden but not at the scale you mentioned. Just a few with almost no impact on my tomato plants. You still got a good haul this year despite the “invasion” you went through
BeatingTheIndex recently posted..My 7 Links Project
Mich – I’ve some taken some tactical counter-measures against the marauders. Passive barbed-wire deterrents (Neem Oil) and targeted assassination (squish ‘em!). If they really piss me off I may resort to biological warfare (bacillus thurengiensis).
[...] Pestiferous Pests in the Remote Garden (101 Centavos) [...]
We have officially abandoned our garden due to the exceptional drought here in Houston. Ugh.
Amanda L Grossman recently posted..Class Action Lawsuits: My Experience and Examples of Other Settlements
Sorry to hear about that, Amanda. If this drought persists into next year, I’m going to have to resort to drip irrigation, as the well’s aquifer may not get adequately recharged.
Beautiful produce! Those Yukon Gold potatoes look great! For not living right next to it I think you did well. I keep thinking of those cute turtles! We had tomato horn worms & I know you are supposed to pick them off. I just couldn’t do it. Hubby had the pleasure of it.
Maggie@SquarePennies recently posted..Watermelon Slushy Drink to Really Cool You
Hi Maggie – the Yukon Golds either benefited from the comfrey leaf trick, or they were a naturally large strain. I’m going to replant the little ones next week for the fall crop.
That’s a good tip on Neem oil! I dread to use toxic chemicals, causes more harm than we think! Haven’t gotten to planting veggies yet, but will certainly remember this tip!
Moneycone recently posted..Ally Vs. Ing Direct: A Face Off!
Nice produce. I am very fond of gardening, i use my patio and planted a few plants. Did you ever do a profit/loss accounting for your garden?
SB @ One Cent At A Time recently posted..Weekend Yakezie Challenger Roundup
Hi SB – I’ve into that level of detail for a few plantings, but not for the overall garden. Just looking at the number of salads we eat though, we’re well ahead.
I’m sorry about your pest problem. My biggest pest problem was the birds eating at my tomatoes.
Your produce pics look great though. I would love to grow potatoes. I just need to find some space.
Kristia {Family Balance Sheet} recently posted..Print Free Disney Greeting Cards
Considering all the challenges it seems your little farm has done very well!
I’m glad I don’t have to worry about grasshoppers and blister beetles here. I did find a tomato hornworm one year, but it was already covered with the larvae of a parasitic wasp so I decided to let nature take its course and left it. My zucchini gets hit by squash vine borers nearly every year, but since I plant in lots of compost and let the plant go wild I still get plenty of squash.
I know you’re concentrating on building soil and not just harvesting, so despite these set backs you’re making good progress. Congrats!
Linda recently posted..Cycling to work
Thanks, Linda – squash vine borers are the bane of my zucchini hopes and dreams. Maybe the solution is to plant a dozen or so and let them go wild. What’s not to like about beneficial insets like parasitic wasps? They show up and do your work for you.
Great timing on the pest post. I’m trying to keep my chin up.
The hornworms are taking off the top few feet of the tomato plants. I pull them off and feed them to the chickens and ducks. God, it feels good in a very evil way ?)
Even with our ducks and chickens we still have lots of pests. I figure the first third of the plants is for the pests and the rest is for us!
Molly On Money recently posted..Coffee Talk Is Back!
Sorry about the pests! Your harvest still looks really good though.
retirebyforty recently posted..Winning!
It *was* good produce… not to mention the couple bunches of good parsley and the swiss chard. The mix of clay, composted hay and aged manure is proving to be excellent soil.
[...] 101 Centavos shares his woe with Pests in the Remote Garden. [...]
[...] 101 Centavos [...]
[...] know that I’ve had any heartache over our own garden, except maybe having some plants completely stripped by pests. It’s mostly great: the planting, eating, harvesting and exercise and stress relief that I [...]