tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post2068831285815995188..comments2024-03-24T11:10:13.186-04:00Comments on The Gardening Me: Year of the PestMargarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-13568303886602373142017-07-02T10:54:01.463-04:002017-07-02T10:54:01.463-04:00A deer tick - yikes! Yes, the rabbits are, by far...A deer tick - yikes! Yes, the rabbits are, by far, the biggest issue this year - I have since discovered a few more holes in my fencing (where are they coming from - rabbits can't chew through chicken wire, can they???) that I've had to plug up and many of my bean plants are leafless now. And the bunny count keeps going up too - the other day I counted 3 in my backyard...at the same time! Ugh!!Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-67335588162903311722017-06-23T18:19:29.931-04:002017-06-23T18:19:29.931-04:00Oh, that is too bad about the rabbits munching. Th...Oh, that is too bad about the rabbits munching. They can do a lot of damage for sure. Before I replaced the fencing around our main garden I had one trapped INSIDE the garden. I couldn't get it to leave - why should it? It ate countless plants before it finally left. Aphids and sowbugs are no strangers around here either. And ticks, I've had one on me already too, a deer tick at that.Dave @ HappyAcreshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03441364543023807886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-35614274733801162572017-06-20T09:37:04.220-04:002017-06-20T09:37:04.220-04:00Let's hope that's the case - we need a few...Let's hope that's the case - we need a few coyotes and LOTS of hungry ladybugs!Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-37690498308334466772017-06-19T23:24:42.678-04:002017-06-19T23:24:42.678-04:00Oh dear, sounds like you could write the gardener&...Oh dear, sounds like you could write the gardener's version of the Book of Job. Very aggravating! I hope that your excess of pests will bring lots of predators in their wake. Jasonhttp://gardeninacity.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-23825288229917462272017-06-19T09:56:04.749-04:002017-06-19T09:56:04.749-04:00Yes, the Japanese beetles do a number on the plum ...Yes, the Japanese beetles do a number on the plum trees, don't they. Each year I vow that I'll get out there and pick them off early in the season but end up procrastinating and then the tree is covered.<br /><br />I think my tree took at least a couple of years to start producing, so I'm not surprised that yours didn't fruit this year. In fact, the middle section of the tree is fruiting for the first time this year. I lost the tag long ago so it will be interesting to see what type of plum it is.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-42684900418480776562017-06-18T19:30:17.455-04:002017-06-18T19:30:17.455-04:00Oh my, you certainly have some challenges this yea...Oh my, you certainly have some challenges this year. I am not sure if I am just delayed or have not noticed, but none of those will be a surprise for me ... except the potato bug as I've not seen that around here at all.<br /><br />I have a rabbit that I see very often these days but it seems to enjoy non-veggie plants so far (keeping my fingers crossed).<br /><br />And I have a 5 in 1 plum tree that I planted last year and no signs at all of any fruit so maybe it needs another year to mature. My previous plum trees were all destroyed by Japanese beetles and I fear the same demise for this latest tree.Susiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10354350096358468967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-19730231339025949172017-06-17T22:18:59.824-04:002017-06-17T22:18:59.824-04:00Oh no! I can't even imagine the aggravation w...Oh no! I can't even imagine the aggravation with possums and raccoons - you would need a sturdy and tall barrier to keep those guys out! Turtles is a new one - They seem like such timid creatures, I'm surprised they are back after the stern chastising ;)Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-83453934267416622882017-06-17T18:08:04.364-04:002017-06-17T18:08:04.364-04:00The constant aggravation for the gardener...those ...The constant aggravation for the gardener...those darn pests!! We have had a family of both coons and possums in the garden and they just about had all my strawberries. Those critters climb! Also the turtles. I remove them and walk them down the road and then speak to them sharply!! It takes a while but here they are back at it! Argh! is right!Lorraine Barnetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07592739730442748917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-31832768738235482102017-06-17T15:41:28.463-04:002017-06-17T15:41:28.463-04:00Thanks Nancy - I need all the luck I can get this ...Thanks Nancy - I need all the luck I can get this year! If the pests on your beans are tiny and black, they may very well be aphids...I think they are even called "Black Bean Aphids!". Oddly enough, they only seem to go to the fava beans around here and not the other beans we grow, which I find rather strange.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-81065057476309496172017-06-17T13:40:51.167-04:002017-06-17T13:40:51.167-04:00I agree wholeheartedly with you. I just have the ...I agree wholeheartedly with you. I just have the small courtyard but the aphids keep at my beans or at least I think that is what it is unless I keep putting Neem on them. Hubby put a board across the bottom of our gate and so far the bunnies don't seem to have gotten in! Good luck to you! Nancy Cozy Thyme Cottagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03933769393226611441noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-36368440293093982172017-06-17T11:38:49.252-04:002017-06-17T11:38:49.252-04:00It certainly seems that most every crop is being a...It certainly seems that most every crop is being affected in one way or another - so frustrating! In our area, there is an inverse relationship between the number of rabbits and the number of coyotes. Bunnies are cute but with the damage they've done to the garden this year, I don't feel too bad in saying that what we need now is an uptick in the coyote population.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-10679142907881254202017-06-17T11:37:35.583-04:002017-06-17T11:37:35.583-04:00Ha...I know you don't like those super cold te...Ha...I know you don't like those super cold temps! Oh, a colony of ants are certainly an "argh!" moment, especially when they are the biting kind :(Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-72190587518087933682017-06-17T11:36:31.137-04:002017-06-17T11:36:31.137-04:00It's so discouraging to plant those little see...It's so discouraging to plant those little seedlings full of promise only to have them munched to the ground. It figures, doesn't it, that they don't do the same to the weeds - I definitely wouldn't mind a bindweed munching rabbit!<br /><br />I was so happy when I saw the lady beetle larva, especially in those numbers. Hopefully they grow quickly, spread their wings and start feasting on the aphids in the other parts of the garden.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-2466020372508756842017-06-17T11:35:22.208-04:002017-06-17T11:35:22.208-04:00Thanks Michelle. Oy, rats and mice...I would prob...Thanks Michelle. Oy, rats and mice...I would probably give up at that point! Funny how one of the reasons I didn't put corn in was so that I didn't have to deal with the added stress of something getting to it and here I am having that very issue with ton of other crops.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-294891485654850642017-06-17T11:34:32.679-04:002017-06-17T11:34:32.679-04:00Agreed - it is MUCH too early to be dealing with a...Agreed - it is MUCH too early to be dealing with all these issues! And I think you are right in that most things were small to start. My peppers and eggplant, however, were the best transplants I had ever grown, so it was doubly disappointing when they got to them.<br />Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-6634229934776260652017-06-17T11:32:29.569-04:002017-06-17T11:32:29.569-04:00We do have slugs, but they are not that bad yet. ...We do have slugs, but they are not that bad yet. I have a feeling they got to a few of my tatsoi and komatsuna seedlings but I'm not 100% sure. **Usually** slugs don't do much damage in the spring/early summer but they can be bad later in the season - NOT looking forward to that!<br />Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-56620890485659143372017-06-17T11:31:15.044-04:002017-06-17T11:31:15.044-04:00Well, if they did get indigestion, that didn't...Well, if they did get indigestion, that didn't stop them from coming back for more! I really wish our wild bunnies were more like yours - it would be wonderful not to have chicken wire all over the place. It's not only unattractive but inconvenient as you have to use an "entrance" to access the garden instead of just walking up to a bed.<br /><br />That's a good bit of advice on the horticultural oil - I've made a note of that and will give it a go next year.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-16254655245369575342017-06-17T06:26:28.902-04:002017-06-17T06:26:28.902-04:00I think between them they've got your whole cr...I think between them they've got your whole crop covered, fingers crossed that you win the war. There's a problem if there's more than one rabbit around, they breed like, well, rabbits!Johttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17436932004631816039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-82138323493728162272017-06-16T22:41:47.255-04:002017-06-16T22:41:47.255-04:00Yes, the garden pests are so challenging! I wouldn...Yes, the garden pests are so challenging! I wouldn't take the -40F/C temps, but a few days of -20F/-29C in January, followed by milder, snowy weather would be fine. I just walked out to the garden today and saw a huge, developing colony of ants. A few ants are awesome, but when they stream through the garden beds... Argh, is right!Beth @ PlantPostingshttps://plantpostings.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-78341944709699944062017-06-16T19:59:00.967-04:002017-06-16T19:59:00.967-04:00The 'pests' do seem worse this year. In my...The 'pests' do seem worse this year. In my area it is the perfect storm of a pretty wet spring followed by heat and humidity. The ticks, mosquitoes and chiggers are especially bad this year. I'm thankful for lady beetles and all the other beneficial insects that keep it all in check. But those bunnies, ugh! Karin / Southern Meadowshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06514989784715204223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-13774138384707234042017-06-16T19:06:04.785-04:002017-06-16T19:06:04.785-04:00If I didn't know better I would say that you w...If I didn't know better I would say that you were right next door. Rabbits, sowbugs, birds, and aphids (and rodents) are the top troublemakers in my garden. Dance for joy if you don't have rats and mice munching on your veggies. I hope you got all the gaps in your fence, those damn rabbits are so destructive and persistent. The rest of the pests can be dealt with fairly effectively. Good luck! Michellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07812702328134261533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-79747485630637062412017-06-16T18:25:20.878-04:002017-06-16T18:25:20.878-04:00It looks like the rabbits and insects are terrible...It looks like the rabbits and insects are terrible this year. It's very early in the season for all this. With your plants behind from the very late spring, it's probably doing more damage than it normally would.<br /><br />I've had a rabbit before in the garden, but the plants were already big and it was just eating fruits rather than the plants. Aphids are terrible this year, I have to wonder if they spread diseases as well.Phuonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07658691564062044986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-29130253267958163212017-06-16T17:04:22.109-04:002017-06-16T17:04:22.109-04:00Crikey you really do have armies of pests out to g...Crikey you really do have armies of pests out to get your plants. No mention of slugs and snails our number one pest.Sue Garretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164518448098182276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-60222921574587930332017-06-16T14:00:58.557-04:002017-06-16T14:00:58.557-04:00Wow, you are really getting hit hard by insect pes...Wow, you are really getting hit hard by insect pests this year. I raise rabbits for meat and am surprised that they would eat the pepper plants since any solanacae does not agree with them. Maybe it will give them indigestion and they will leave it alone in the future. Now the strawberries I would be worried about. . . The wild rabbits around here rarely go into the beds except to eat beet greens. The thought of beets must overcome all fears. <br /><br />My apple trees got an aphid infestation several years ago. I sprayed them twice with pyrethins and it finally went away. Killing the ants was the key. Since then I've sprayed every March with horticultural oil, just when the first buds go silver, and haven't had them since. Good luck. <br /><br />gardenvariety-hoosierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02823437033502199023noreply@blogger.com