The field is turned, the seed potatoes have arrived, we have all of our seeds, and we have our controls ready to go. This week we'll be planting our seeds in the greenhouse and as soon as the field is disced, we will be tilling and then planting potatoes.
Last year it was the squash bug and the bean beetle, along with the colorado potato beetle that did us in mostly. This year, we've got a bunch of controls ready to go, as well as having a much better layout for the garden, which will (hopefully) eliminate a few other problems caused by too-close planting and overhead watering.
For the squash bug: there really is no better way than to make sure there are no close cover areas for them to hide and use a "board capture" method to corral the little evil things. They gather under it at night and then you flip it over and crush em. Savage but effective. One must also hunt down the eggs and destroy them, which can be difficult, as they are on both sides of the leaves, but not impossible because the eggs are laid in neat rows and stand out against the green leaves pretty well. As this article notes, there is no substitute in the organic farming for the careful eye of the farmer: HERE.
Our tomatoes were run over with blight last year by mid-season. Part of the trouble came because we started our seeds too soon and our transplants languished in the greenhouse for too long before going in the ground. Then we planted too close together and overhead watering, coupled with the many foggy nights here in the mountains, kept the leaves wet and touching, enabling a rapid spread once the fungus took hold. There is no way to stop it once it starts but it is possible to apply bacillus subtilis in the form of Serenade to the plants at the outset with periodic reapplications and keep it at bay. You can read more HERE.
Tomatoes also get assaulted by the hornworm, which can destroy plants very quickly. To control it, and other caterpillars, we use a form of bacillus thuringensis which comes as Dipel dust, mixed in a sprayer. There are a variety of strains, and while the Dipel wasn't effective against the Colorado potato beetle, it did the job on the hornworm. More info HERE. It is not harmful to beneficial insects.
Pyrethrum, in the form of the liquid Pyganic, is a strong control for beetles, aphids, mites and the like, but it can be harmful to bees, so application timing is important to coincide when bee activity is at its lowest. It is a derivative of the chrysanthemum and provides a knockdown control, which is sometimes lacking in other organic insecticides. It can be mixed with neem/bt/etc.
We use diatomaceous earth to control ants which love to trap the aphids and make em produce "honeydew," a sweet sticky substance they find delicious.
Beneficial insects are a big help, including ladybugs, praying mantis and the trichoderma wasp. Proper mulching to control weeds eliminates hiding places and makes spotting some of these critters easier.
For further info, you can check out this organic grower's resource guide: HERE.
We'll be posting pictures of these bugs in the next post, taken last year during their attacks...not this year though!
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Organic Produce & Specialty Goods
Why Organic?
Buying organic food promotes a less toxic environment for all living things. Industrial agriculture doesn’t just pollute farmland and farm workers; it also wreaks havoc on the environment downstream. Pesticide drift affects non-farm communities with odorless and invisible poisons. Mono-cropping and chemical fertilizer dependency has taken a toll with a loss of top soil estimated at a cost of $40 billion per year in the U.S. plus adding an equally disturbing loss of micro nutrients and minerals in fruits and vegetables.
Feeding the soil with organic matter by cover cropping and careful soil maintenance instead of with ammonia and other synthetic fertilizers has proven to increase nutrients in produce, with higher levels of vitamins and minerals found in organic food. Scientists now know what we eaters have known all along: organic food often tastes better. Whether it is local fruit, imported coffee or artisan cheese, organic can demonstrate a reverence for the land and its people. No matter the zip code, organic has proven to use less energy (on average, about 30 percent less), is beneficial to soil, water and local habitat, and is safer for the people who harvest our food.
Eat more seasonally by supporting your local farmers market while also supporting a global organic economy year round. It will make your taste buds happy.
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