Wednesday, 27 April 2011

No to Pests

One investment we made that I encourage any organic vegetable grower to purchase are floating row covers.  This year, we are going to cover all of our crops with row covers.  The crops that we have covered in previous years have had fewer weeds and fewer pests than the uncovered crops.  Deer and rabbits cannot eat through the covers so it saves you from putting up a deer fence. The covers can be used year after year if handled and stored properly.  A 7 ft. x 50 ft. light weight row cover costs approximately $19.95 at Lee Valley (check on web to get the best deal). They can be cut with scissors to the length needed. When placing the row cover over the plants, leave enough space for the plants to grow.  Anchor the entire width and length of the row covers with soil and rocks.  I can’t stress enough how indispensible the row covers are. If your group needs to contribute a few more dollars towards their purchase, do it!
The pests that we have had problems with in the past are potato beetles and slugs.  We are going to cover the potatoes this year, so hopefully we will not have the beetle problem. Unfortunately with organic gardening, the only way to get rid of beetles is to kill them, either by squishing them between your fingers or drowning them in a can of water.  Neither is pleasant and although the crop is the responsibility of one person, we usually all help in the eradicating of the dreaded potato beetle.  The eggs of the potato beetle are orange and are under the leaves.  Check the leaves carefully and remove the eggs.
The slugs come out when it has been wet for an extended period of time.  One thing that has worked for us is beer.  I know you probably don’t have any beer to spare but try to part with it for the good of the garden.  We buy the small aluminum dishes at the dollar store and place them throughout the garden. The top of the dish should be flush with the soil.  Pour in the beer (any brand will do) and the slugs will think its TGIF.  Bye, bye slugs.

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