| Months | First Sighting | Insect | Crop | Treatment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May | 5/14 | Leaf minor | Spinach & beets | row cover with blue sticky trap |
| May-June | 5/28 | Cabbage worms | Cabbage | Hand removal (multiple passes each week) |
| June- | 6/4- fava 7/2- brussels & nasturtium | Aphids | Brussels, fava, nasturtiums | Insecticidal soap |
| 7/9? | Squash vine borer | Summer squash, pumpkins | Yellow sticky traps and SVB lure (3) | |
| Cucumber beetle | Slicing cucumbers | Hand removal & yellow sticky traps | ||
| Potato beetle | Potatoes | Hand removal & yellow sticky traps | ||
[May] Leaf minor
We proactively covered the spinach and beets with agrofabric immediately after transplanting them in the garden. Additionally, we placed a blue sticky trap under the cover to catch any flies that might be in the soil or caught inside the trap. This worked very well — dozens of flies were caught by the sticky trap in the first couple of weeks and the spinach crop was beautiful with no notable leaf minor damage. Definitely recommend repeating this combination going forward (cover the crops at the time of transplant and keep a sticky trap inside).
[June] Cabbage worms
We first noticed the cabbage worms in the brassica bed on 5/28. Over the month of June, we found them in most of the green cabbage, cauliflower and brussels sprouts. Some days, we found up to three worms on a single plant. Having several gardeners inspect the plants each Saturday worked out very well. We would often find several worms the first time through and then a second inspection with fresh eyes would find 2 or 3 more. By the time the cabbages headed up, we had successfully kept the worms under control and got several beautiful cabbage heads.
[June] Aphids
As usual, the aphids attacked the fava plants as they set out flowers. We sprayed them with insecticidal soap, taking care to avoid spraying the flowers. The insecticidal soap succeeded in controlling the aphids; however, it seems like the insecticidal soap may also have killed some of the flowers, reducing the potential harvest. Unfortunately the garden photos aren’t detailed enough to support this theory, so we may want to try to document more carefully next year. Also, Elisabeth had recently watched an episode of Gardener’s World (BBC) where Monty Don said that the aphids don’t harm the productivity of the fava beans, so we may want to try leaving the fava untreated next year.
