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Well, OK, "No Bugs" is in fact, an exaggeration. This is Florida, after all. By this time last year I had stink bugs, and their nasty eggs all over my cucumbers, squash, and tomatoes. Also, there were Horned Worms, and lots of them, requiring daily inspection and picking.
It's still pretty early on in the growing season. I did see a few horned worms mid-May, but haven't seen any since. I've seen the occasional stink bug lurking, even seen some "attached", and 3 or 4 clusters of eggs... but that's it! Take my word for it. It's less. The sunflower got it's typical aphid/ant problem, and there are a few grasshoppers, but not occurring more than what is natural, and not causing much damage. Not sure I'd go splashing a bunch of ingredients around, and hand pick all day just to kill everything that moves.
We had a free-range hen hatch 15 eggs. Six weeks later, she hasn't lost one. She pecked through my garden's plastic "chicken proof" fencing in order to let her little ones get through and feed in the garden. Free-range can cause such a headache! Still, aside from eating a few ripe, low-hanging tomatoes, they haven't caused any harm, not even when mama hen jumps over top of the fence to join in the buffet. Also, they scratch around, loosening top-soil, and eating bugs. Beneficial balance. All for the cost of a few small tomatoes.
Getting on, the reason I'm posting is to share the things I'm contributing for my lack of bug success. And, when I say, "lack of bugs", I'm referring to the pest types. We still have bees, wasps, ants and other pollinating bugs visiting regularly.
1. Companion planting- we were going to make a separate herb bed, but decided to interplant, since so many herbs have beneficial, bug-repelling effects.
2. Inter-planting- perhaps "square foot gardening" may be a more familiar term. Rather than planting in rows, where bugs just go down the line, like lice on kids at daycare, the planting is done in small patches of just a few, with herbs, flowers, or other companion plants between. Rather than a farm, it looks like a flower bed.
3. Insecticidal soap- In a 1 gal. sprayer I use about 1 TBSP Dawn dish soap, which stink bugs especially dislike. I've used this weekly. While I'm spraying, I like to add in whatever foliar fertilizer I like. That can be Epsom Salt, sea weed or kelp, aspirin, or other dissolvable organic fertilizer. This utilizes my time wisely.
4. DE (Diatomaceous Earth), sprinkling it mostly on the ground or leaves, avoiding flowers. However, I avoid using this, since it may kill pollinating bees. Also, I've read it doesn't work, or looses effectiveness when wet.
5. "Squash Viner Borer- Be Gone!" This is a product and idea that is completely new to me this year, and that never even occurred to me. I ordered the product online from MIgardener.com The product smells as if it is mostly just essential oils. Brilliant! If bugs are deterred by herbs in general, how much more do they dislike the concentrated form of essential oils. Peppermint, citronella, and eucalyptus are good ones to try, diluted in a gallon of water of course.
6. Again, I'd like to thank the chickens. As much as I've gone out to chase them out, they've probably done more good than harm. Though, the same may not be said a few months from now.
I've tried attaching a few pics of the garden. Hope they show.
I don't post often, so I hope that will excuse the bulky post.
If you read this far, I guess you don't mind.
Wishing everyone a warm and productive growing season.
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It's still pretty early on in the growing season. I did see a few horned worms mid-May, but haven't seen any since. I've seen the occasional stink bug lurking, even seen some "attached", and 3 or 4 clusters of eggs... but that's it! Take my word for it. It's less. The sunflower got it's typical aphid/ant problem, and there are a few grasshoppers, but not occurring more than what is natural, and not causing much damage. Not sure I'd go splashing a bunch of ingredients around, and hand pick all day just to kill everything that moves.
We had a free-range hen hatch 15 eggs. Six weeks later, she hasn't lost one. She pecked through my garden's plastic "chicken proof" fencing in order to let her little ones get through and feed in the garden. Free-range can cause such a headache! Still, aside from eating a few ripe, low-hanging tomatoes, they haven't caused any harm, not even when mama hen jumps over top of the fence to join in the buffet. Also, they scratch around, loosening top-soil, and eating bugs. Beneficial balance. All for the cost of a few small tomatoes.
Getting on, the reason I'm posting is to share the things I'm contributing for my lack of bug success. And, when I say, "lack of bugs", I'm referring to the pest types. We still have bees, wasps, ants and other pollinating bugs visiting regularly.
1. Companion planting- we were going to make a separate herb bed, but decided to interplant, since so many herbs have beneficial, bug-repelling effects.
2. Inter-planting- perhaps "square foot gardening" may be a more familiar term. Rather than planting in rows, where bugs just go down the line, like lice on kids at daycare, the planting is done in small patches of just a few, with herbs, flowers, or other companion plants between. Rather than a farm, it looks like a flower bed.
3. Insecticidal soap- In a 1 gal. sprayer I use about 1 TBSP Dawn dish soap, which stink bugs especially dislike. I've used this weekly. While I'm spraying, I like to add in whatever foliar fertilizer I like. That can be Epsom Salt, sea weed or kelp, aspirin, or other dissolvable organic fertilizer. This utilizes my time wisely.
4. DE (Diatomaceous Earth), sprinkling it mostly on the ground or leaves, avoiding flowers. However, I avoid using this, since it may kill pollinating bees. Also, I've read it doesn't work, or looses effectiveness when wet.
5. "Squash Viner Borer- Be Gone!" This is a product and idea that is completely new to me this year, and that never even occurred to me. I ordered the product online from MIgardener.com The product smells as if it is mostly just essential oils. Brilliant! If bugs are deterred by herbs in general, how much more do they dislike the concentrated form of essential oils. Peppermint, citronella, and eucalyptus are good ones to try, diluted in a gallon of water of course.
6. Again, I'd like to thank the chickens. As much as I've gone out to chase them out, they've probably done more good than harm. Though, the same may not be said a few months from now.
I've tried attaching a few pics of the garden. Hope they show.
I don't post often, so I hope that will excuse the bulky post.
If you read this far, I guess you don't mind.
Wishing everyone a warm and productive growing season.
004.jpg001.jpg006.jpg008.jpg
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