Scot Nelson / Flickr
Anyone who get near me for more than five minute will hear me credit shekels . Roasted kale , in the altogether kale , kale in smoothie — heck , I would n’t be contradict to kale on pledge . So you will realise my humiliation when I skipped blithely into the Fortress Garden yesterday only to notice …
Aphids .
On my kale .
Alotof aphids .
This did not make me felicitous . Do what you will with me , but leave my kale alone . It ’s hands - down my favorite harvest and , until this class , seemed impervious to pest plague . I bolted for the theater and fuse up a quick batch of insecticidal easy lay ( 1 part Dr. Bronner ’s Almond Castile Georgia home boy to 10 parts water ) and spray away like a madwoman .
The good news is that it lick . I gave the solution a day to do its thing , turning the grey - fleeceable plumpaphidsinto wads of blackened carcasses , then I go at it with the hosepipe , nail the debris and any subsister into oblivion . Luckily , I catch the plague quick . Although I did get free of one plant that was so heavy infested it was beyond salvage , the others seemed fine .
Hmm . So what ’s a gal to do ? I ’ve discovered in my garden that the aphids really seem to wish thecruciferous vegetable , and last twelvemonth , I lost my entire crop of Brussels sprouts . true , I was n’t on the globe , so this twelvemonth I ’m taking a more proactive approach , seek to prevent the bearing of aphid in the first place .
Because I ’d already spray , introducing ladybugs would be a no - no , but when I get my broccoli , Brussels sprouts , sugar and cauliflower going , then I can get ahold of some of the little darlings and determine them out for some aphid snack . And planting garlic and onions amidst my cruciferous buddies can turn back the Evil Aphid Empire from establishing a fastness in the first place .
In an amazing synergistic Book of Revelation , my recent craving for a banana ointment Proto-Indo European ( I make it with flaked coconut in the crust and in the custard , believe me , it is awesome ) reveal another aphid repellent : banana peel ! Apparently , bananas are aphid kryptonite . chop the skin and burying them around the pedestal of susceptible plants will keep the piffling chump at bay , and I get to eat a delicious pie . Win - win , veracious ?
The other construct , of plant sacrifice , charm to thegirly girl gardenerin me . Setting up a bed of aphid - attracting flowers a unretentive distance from my edible plants will — at least until the aphids play havoc — provide some attractive color . Zinnias , asters , cosmos and several other flowers are beautiful and will serve tempt aphid away . Likewise , engraft for aphid predator can attract ladybugs and lacewing : milfoil , muckle and dill weed are all good and usefu , l as well .
The of import thing is if I can get in advance of the aphids , I can avoid spray . Organic or not , a pesticide is still a pesticide , and insecticidal liquid ecstasy does n’t differentiate between the aphids and the ladybeetle . Love thy predators , my multitude , for they are the redemption of your salad greens .
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