The cucumbers have been defeated! I didn't do a very good job of preventing an aphid infestation and they came by the thousands. They set up camp and went to work on the Cucumbers. Bummer! I was really looking forward to more pickles!
Over the weekend I made a stronger batch of garlic spray. Once it was ready I went to work fight off the little devils. I'll check out the garden this morning, maybe spray one last time and then wait. The garlic spray consists of oil, garlic cloves and water and it takes 24 hours per batch. I add the liquid to a spray bottle and go to work. I didn't want to use this method because it can harm other soft bodied insects such as lady bugs but I had no choice.
The upside to removing the cucumbers is that I have a few other plants waiting to be planted. I'll be adding compost, manure and a bit of organic fertilizer to the bare side of the garden and in they go.
Another gorgeous day in sunny South Florida!
My new favorite friend is Deep Woods Off. I have tried to garden without chemical help. While the organic garden is thriving I have been miserable. Monday night I went out into the garden after work to plant 3 tomato seedlings. I was almost finished when my legs started to burn. I was wearing pants so I figured it couldn't be mosquitoes.
Boy was I wrong!
I almost couldn't finish planting. Running through the house to the bathroom, stripping off clothes as I went the lightbulb came on in my head...I got bit through my pants. Those sneaky suckers! I counted 15 bites on my backside alone.
The moral of this story: If you already know mosquitoes consider you a delicacy, SPRAY yourself down with repellant!
Not bed bugs...Bad bugs!!!
I have had my work cut out for me recently. I've battled leaf miners, tomato hornworms, cutworms...UGH!!
Here's a list of a few nasty little bad bugs:
Aphids
Cabbage worm
Corn earworm
Japanese beetle
Leafminer
Nematode
Potato beetle
Slug or Snail
Squash bugs
Tomato hornworm
White fly
Just thinking about these little guys makes my skin crawl. I've just come in from the garden, defending my harvest, and now it's time to get cleaned up.
There are many natural forms of pest control, from companion planting to homemade recipes using regular household items such as dishsoap or milk.
Before you go out and buy poison from the local garden store, try a home-remedy!
I'm not a big fan of bugs. Living in Florida I have become "bait" for mosquitoes. There can be 1 mosquito around a group of people and it will find me.
Good Bugs:
Ladybug-eats aphids
Dragonfly-eats mosquitoes
Spider
Ground beetle
Hover fly
Green Lacewing- called "aphid lion"
Bumblebee
Paper wasp
Butterfly
Honeybee
Earthworm
Centipede and Millipede
Praying Mantis
Assassin bug
Firefly
Each of these bugs is beneficial in their own way. The good bugs eat "bad" bugs, spread pollen from flower to flower, aerate soil naturally, produce natural fertilizers through feces and "castings" and are the best form of natural (organic) pest-control.
So next time you're in the garden, watch out for the good guys!
