Insects Have Ravaged The IBC Tank Garden
It has been rainy and cool these last few days, which has caused us to stay inside. Well, I got a chance today to get out and stretch my legs a little. I made a point to do a checkup on the IBC tank garden. What I found was appalling. In the period of just a day or two, something had almost completely decimated several of the vegetables.
The leaves on the turnip greens and watermelon radishes were almost completely stripped. The leaves that were left showed what almost looked like scarring. What caused this you might ask? Well, after some research, I think I have found the problem.
I believe this is called a cabbage worm. If not caught early they will not only eat greens and radishes, they will eat other plants like broccoli, cauliflower, and kale. They have a relatively quick cycles and multiply quickly. From what I have read, there are a few solutions to combat this problem. Some of those being handpick the worms off, traps that capture the bugs, spray the plants with solutions or some have said that sprinkling cornmeal on the leaves will help and the final fix I found is that you could purchase a certain type of predator that will attack the eggs.
With it being late in the year and our growing season about over, I think the option that I will go with is to just remove them by hand. This is an issue that we have never encountered before in our larger garden, so before I put anything on our plants, I want to do a little more research. This infestation occurred in our IBC tank garden, so handpicking them off will not require a lot of time. Luckily, I was able to catch the problem before they started on my lettuce. I am hoping that the affected plants will be able to pull out of this, but we will have to wait and see.
Thanks for reading!
Boo, those buggers can wreck havoc in no time at all! I move things like this into the lessons learned category and move on.
I would definitely agree with that! I am already thinking of what I would do to fix it next year.
Those cabbage worms are the worst! I stopped growing kale and broccoli because of them. I found the best solution for me is to cover the crops with white garden fabric to prevent those white butterflies from laying their eggs. There is also an organic pesticide called BT that works, but you have to mix a fresh batch every time so it's not practical for just a few plants. Good luck!
Cabbage worms are mostly a late summer/fall problem for me here in Ontario, Canada. They don't usually eat lettuce, but rather any cruciferous plant. I like using polyester row covers. They can be reused for many years. I make hoop house like frame for them using heavy gauge fencing wire. That way the plants have some room to grow under the row cover.
That would make sense! We have never had this problem during the spring or summer. Usually by this time our garden is done. I have heard from a few people about row covers and that may be something I will try next time. I have also read that planting thyme around these plants will help.
Thanks for the ideas! I might try to cover them for next time, but for now I have been picking them off by hand and I think I have the problem in check for now. We will have to wait and see.
I just hate when that happens..so glad you caught it early!
Happy Day
Melissa
Thanks! I just wish I would have caught it sooner, but I know for next year.
One to look out for thank you, we have wire worms - meaning no vegetables under the earth Carrots, Parsnips etc
Thanks for your comment! I have never heard of wire worms before, but after looking into them a little they would be a real problem for a garden. Is there a time of year they are worse?
Your welcome, no idea - I just know when ever we planted root vegetables they ultimately ended up munched, happy worms.