Here’s the update about what’s happened to my recession garden in the past month.
- My zucchini and green bean seeds, above, have taken off! The growth is visible each day, which makes it very fun to inspect them every morning. I’ve already had to pick off a few small yellow eggs clustering underneath the leaves, however.
- This weekend I hope to hang twine from the top of the fence for the green beans to attach to and begin climbing!
- Caterpillars are still pillaging my mint, below. The plant’s growth has slowed and many, many leaves have holes. I fixed a solution of water and cayenne pepper,
as reader Jennifer suggested, and prepared to spray it all over the leaves. Except that hardly any came out because the cayenne clogged the sprayer! So I ended up pouring the reddish solution over all the visible caterpillar eggs. A lot ended up in the dirt. I’m crossing my fingers that this will do the caterpillars in while not killing the plant. If the mint survives and I harvest the leaves for mojitos, I can just imagine my guests saying, “This is the spiciest mint I’ve ever tasted!” - My sage and rosemary are growing fine. The new sage leaves are not bug-eaten, which makes me hope the caterpillars are leaving them alone. The rosemary is big enough to harvest a sprig.
Related:
My recession garden: attack of the caterpillars
Growing food instead of grass: recession garden
All hopes resting on…vegetables
A recession garden may NOT save you money
Reader tips on recession gardens
One month after planting my recession garden
June 24th, 2009 at 12:37 pm
try crushing egg shells and sprinkling them over the soil. I know this works for snails, since the shells are sharp thus keeps them away, it might do the same for those pesky caterpillars!
also try hot water with the caynne pepps, then letting it cool down before you spray. that might dissolve the pepps rather than clogging up the sprayer.
June 25th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
I spray my mint with a mix of water and soap. Just a few drops of dish soap in the spray bottle and it keeps the caterpillars away.
June 26th, 2009 at 8:46 am
Clarissa, I’ll try this if the cayenne doesn’t work!