I thought it was time I posted an update as to the progress of our garden for 2010. Unfortunately our garden is not as far along as I would like for two reasons: one, being not having enough time to dedicate to it and two, we've had issues with pests, animals, etc.
This last week I've been experimenting with three different methods to prevent whatever it is that is eating our green beans and zucchini plants primarily. I had leaves that had been bitten off entirely and leaves with small holes in them. My thought was that there might be a couple of culprits.
- The first method I used was to plant marigolds around my garden bed.
An excerpt from Organic Gardening - Prevent Tomato Diseases or Marigolds Protect Melons
Plant marigolds
There are plenty of half-understood stories about marigolds out there. The myth is that planting marigolds around your garden will keep away pests. The truth is that spider mites love marigolds, and so do many rabbits, so putting in a few flowers might attract more pests than you had before. The other part of the truth is that marigolds can be used to treat soil with nematode problems, if you do it properly. You'll want to select a French variety such as 'Nema-gone', 'Golden Guardian', or 'Tangerine'. Plant the entire affected area thickly in the marigolds, grow them for at least three months, and then till them into the soil.
- The second method I used was to prevent animals from eating the leaves spray a mixture of hot sauce and water on my green bean plants.
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Step 1 - Remove any dead plants,
weeds and grasses that may be attracting insects to your plants.
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Step 2 - Create a barrier around your green beans with mulch. Mulch is not an insect-friendly material.
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Step 3 - Pour insecticide soap into a garden hose sprayer and spray it all over your green beans. Knock off any insects that you see with the spray from the hose.
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Step 4 - Make a band of tin foil, and wrap it around the base of each green bean
plant.
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Step 5 - Pick off any insects left on your plant with your fingers. Place the bugs into a pail of water mixed with dish soap to kill them.
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Step 6 - Fill the chamber of a pump insecticide sprayer with a preventative insecticide. Spray the preventative over the plant in long, even strokes.
- Step 7 - Repeat the preventive process occasionally to keep the bugs away.
An excerpt from eHow.com - Homemade Pest Control Spray
Use several homemade sprays to control garden pests. For aphids, mites, mealy bugs and other soft-bodied insects, Eartheasy.com suggests mixing 1 tbsp. of canola oil and two to three drops of soap into 1 qt. of water. Simply spray leaves of affected plants to smother pests without the use of toxins. It also suggests using a soap-and-water mixture with hot pepper sauce to repel mites.
To repel Japanese beetles, caterpillars and even rodents from vegetables, roses and fruit trees, organic farmer Stephanie Lowell-Libby suggests a mixture of onion, garlic, cayenne pepper or hot sauce and water. For aphids, she suggests steeping lemon peel in hot water overnight and straining into a spray.
An excerpt from our Ohio.org - What's eating green bean plants?
Here are two organic solutions to your problem:
1.) Combine 1 tablespoon hot sauce and 1 quart of water in a spray bottle and apply this mixture to the plants. Remember to reapply every time it rains or when you water.
2.) Another option is to put a fence around the garden. The holes of the fence need to be small enough (about 1-inch x 1-inch) to prevent critters from entering.
- The third method I've used is to prevent slugs, which is what I thought might be eating my green bean plant leaves since there were little holes in some of them. This method involved placing small foil trays in my garden filled with beer. I've been amazed at what this has trapped including slugs, bean beetles and knats. Yuck!
After almost a week of a combination of these two treatments my green bean plants and zucchini plants are looking much better. I am hopeful by next week to see even more progress. I've never had any of these issues before and last year we were eating green beans for dinner regularly by the end of May.
Use several homemade sprays to control garden pests. For aphids, mites, mealy bugs and other soft-bodied insects, Eartheasy.com suggests mixing 1 tbsp. of canola oil and two to three drops of soap into 1 qt. of water. Simply spray leaves of affected plants to smother pests without the use of toxins. It also suggests using a soap-and-water mixture with hot pepper sauce to repel mites.
To repel Japanese beetles, caterpillars and even rodents from vegetables, roses and fruit trees, organic farmer Stephanie Lowell-Libby suggests a mixture of onion, garlic, cayenne pepper or hot sauce, and water. For aphids, she suggests steeping lemon peel in hot water overnight and straining into a spray.
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