Help with vegetable garden?
Question:I'm not sure what is eating our garden, some type of insect I guess, it seemed to go right for our swiss chard plus other things. Does anyone know of a spray that is natural and won't harm our dogs (if they happen to go in the garden) or our daughter, who loves to help. I have heard about mixing dishwashing soap and water, does this work??
Answers:
I don't agree with using Sevin. You cannot eat the veggies for a period of time after using that. I believe it is up to 21 days for some crops. I use Safer products. You can still eat the crops after spraying.
Try to find out what's eating them. Early morning or night is good when the leaves are damp with dew. Or it could be grasshoppers. They are very hard to control since they are so mobile.
If slugs, there is also slug bait that is safe to use in the garden. Be sure to read the label. Just like sevin, these are poisonous to bugs and sometimes pets and people. I like to be on the safe side. I've always used Safer products, but still read the label to make sure I can eat it the day of spraying.
Soap and water should be OK, as well. Also I've tried catching a bunch of the offending bugs and whizzing them up in the blender then spraying that around the plants. It has worked too, they say because it spreads disease to the remaining bugs. But it is a nasty process, I'll admit.
I just hate using chemicals (like sevin) on my veggies. The reason I grow my own is to get away from chemicals. Most times, I just put up with a few holes in the leaves unless it gets too bad and there's nothing left.
I believe the dish soap is 1 tsp for 1 gallon of water. I just use seven dust on my plants. It's safe to put on pets too. Not to consume though, but neither is dishliquid. :)
Soapy water does work for some pests like aphids. Check to make sure it is not slugs; they attack plants at night and once almost destroyed my entire pepper crop. Go out after dark and check your plants to see what the culprit may be. Slugs can be reduced by using beer (slugs like the yeast) in cups or short cans like tuna cans set into the ground. The slugs go to into the beer and can't get out. Places like Home Depot sell organic/non-toxic pesticides for plants.
If it looks like somethings tunneling through the leaves, they are leaf miners. Swiss chard is a favorite of them, as is spinach. Using an insecticide like sevin will make things worse because it will kill the insects that might feed on them, and the maggots are inside the leaf so they are shielded from it.
Neem oil can help as will parasitic wasps- Diglyphus isaea that are commercially available. You can also remove affected leaves and dispose of them in the garbage, don't put them in your compost pile.
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Good Luck and Happy Gardening from Cathy and Neal!
One quick idea for next year is to plant Marigolds around your garden. Many flying insect hate the smell of them and will pass you by. As for your more immediate problem you could try Insect-A-Gon it's non toxic to people or pet. Good luck. BLUE
you can use soapy water but the soap must be gentle IE Murphy's oil. Also it is only good for about a day and rain or watering washes it away and you will need to re-apply. 3 caps full in 4 cups of water, works great.
I use Seven Dust on my veggies. Someone said you have to wait 21 days before you can eat it??? Never heard of that before. Been using Seven dust since I was born and never had any problems and was always effective.
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