Peaceful Bugs

You know how they say if you plant right, you won't have bug infestations. Well, I've had few bug infestations as an organic gardener and many of them are predictable. Like the aphids on the broccoli and the cabbage worms on the cabbage—and broccoli—and cauliflower. I just hose off the aphids or keep an infested plant as bait—hopefully it's growing far enough away from the other plants that it will be a bug magnet and not spread to the other clean plants. Soap spray also works, and I think the netting will keep cabbage worms eggs from being laid those fluttering white cabbage moths.

Organic gardening takes a little extra effort. Rich soil and lots of water, so the plants stay healthy, helps to keep bugs away. Also companion planting. The neighbor says she has onions growing around her garden and when a flock of black flies infested her tomatoes and she draped oniontops over them, which didn't work, but the wind came up a few days later, which did hlep. So perhaps a fan in the garden could be another deterrent to bug infestations.

I've heard that letting chickens wander through the garden rows will take care of many bugs, just make sure your plants are fairly mature first—as our little feathered friends are energetic with their scratching. Also geese are useful in mint fields. Dogs catch flies. Cats scratch up the newly upturned soil, so don't count on them for debugging your field.

When I lived in Yakima, I had an infestation of potato bugs—not the rolly-polly bugs, also known as sow bugs, but the bugs that are designed especially for potato plants. They are a shiny beetle larger than a ladybug and are easily picked off the plant and fed to chickens or just destroyed (crushing). If you are one of those angels that can't destroy a bug, then I don't know what to tell you. Put them in the garbage can—and turn your back. And certainly don't try the blended-bug cocktail as a garden spray--you'll be too squemish I'm sure.

The weather was cooler today and the grandbaby and I were going to hop over to the garden and fix the string on the bean pole, but alas, I was pooped and he was taking a nap, so I joined forces. He did carry his duck watering can around the house later and said, "Water, water, water." Which is astute of him, since I decided I'm too cinchy with the water. I'll do better, promise.

Ciao!