anyone do a row cover over your leafy greens?
does it help with the bug damage at all? my kale has had all sorts of grossness all over it all summer, eggs etc. and it is a HUGE pain to clean. so painful LOL... and now cabbage worms all over them. do you think a row cover next year would be beneficial for the kale or lettuce or chard? right now I don't pick the stuff bc it takes eons to clean it!
I take note of what the slugs and bugs eat.
And just plant other types of greens the next season.
Once I know what the bugs eat, I stop planting that veggie.
They can find someone else's garden to invade.
I get what they don't like. And don't worry about it.
It's avoiding the whole issue of fighting them.
Fighting the bugs can be exhaustive, futile, and expensive.
And just plant other types of greens the next season.
Once I know what the bugs eat, I stop planting that veggie.
They can find someone else's garden to invade.
I get what they don't like. And don't worry about it.
It's avoiding the whole issue of fighting them.
Fighting the bugs can be exhaustive, futile, and expensive.
Try companion planting like lots of marigolds with the lettuce. Also mixed lettuce may work since maybe the bugs will prefer a certain type leaving the rest alone! Watering the plants with a mix of epsom salts in the water or even a mix of garlic oil with water.! I have more problems with weeds and will mulch more next year!
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rainbowgardener
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But yes, lots of people use row cover to keep the cabbage loopers and such away.
Here's an article about organic cabbage worm control:
https://www.bluehorizonfarm.com/organic-gardening/Cabbage-Worms.html
Part of what it says is:
Use floating row cover-- Diamondback moths can potentially have between 4 and 6 generations per year. Imported cabbage worms and cabbage loopers typically have anywhere between 1 and 4 generations per year. This means that your cabbage worm problem can go from bad to worse very quickly. Floating row cover (a lightweight spun polyethylene fabric that you can use to cover your plants) will "fence" those pesky adult moths out of your crops and keep them from laying their eggs on your cherished brassica plants.
However, it won't work now, you would just be caging the pests IN with your crop. If you want to do it next year, put the row cover up AS SOON AS you plant/ transplant.
Also as Bobber said, more diversified plantings help. If you have a whole row/bed of kale, you attract everything in the county that loves kale. If you plant your kale here and there, mixed in with other things, including strong smelling things (marigolds, sage, mint, rosemary, dill, parsley), you repel the moths, make it harder for them to find your kale, and attract beneficial insects (let all the herbs flower some).
Here's an article about organic cabbage worm control:
https://www.bluehorizonfarm.com/organic-gardening/Cabbage-Worms.html
Part of what it says is:
Use floating row cover-- Diamondback moths can potentially have between 4 and 6 generations per year. Imported cabbage worms and cabbage loopers typically have anywhere between 1 and 4 generations per year. This means that your cabbage worm problem can go from bad to worse very quickly. Floating row cover (a lightweight spun polyethylene fabric that you can use to cover your plants) will "fence" those pesky adult moths out of your crops and keep them from laying their eggs on your cherished brassica plants.
However, it won't work now, you would just be caging the pests IN with your crop. If you want to do it next year, put the row cover up AS SOON AS you plant/ transplant.
Also as Bobber said, more diversified plantings help. If you have a whole row/bed of kale, you attract everything in the county that loves kale. If you plant your kale here and there, mixed in with other things, including strong smelling things (marigolds, sage, mint, rosemary, dill, parsley), you repel the moths, make it harder for them to find your kale, and attract beneficial insects (let all the herbs flower some).
so it would have been better to put the herbs next to the leafy greens instead of next to the peppers LOL.
Next year I am totally doing a row cover. I started getting the materials for it this year and then ran out of time, I was going to put it over my squash until the borers were gone by, but I was just a week too late
next year I'll try and do the kale under it too.
Next year I am totally doing a row cover. I started getting the materials for it this year and then ran out of time, I was going to put it over my squash until the borers were gone by, but I was just a week too late
next year I'll try and do the kale under it too.-
rainbowgardener
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- Location: TN/GA 7b
Works better for the kale, cabbage etc. The row cover works against the vine borers, but then you have to open it up for the flowers to get pollinated at which point the borers promptly get your plants (in my experience) or you have to hand pollinate everything. The greens you aren't going to let flower, so pollinating isn't an issue.
Diversify plantings! Have herbs (including onions and garlic) next to the green leafies AND the peppers! Onions and garlic take up little room, I like to spread them through my garden.
Get rid of the old idea of nice straight rows of everything and jumble your garden up!
Diversify plantings! Have herbs (including onions and garlic) next to the green leafies AND the peppers! Onions and garlic take up little room, I like to spread them through my garden.
Get rid of the old idea of nice straight rows of everything and jumble your garden up!
oh I've jumbled it in the past, but then I coulnd't walk anywhere LOL. I must not have done it right. 
the onions are next to the kale though!
I don't do rows, I do more like blocks most years, this year I did more of a row like thing. I need to be able to walk in there. perhaps some pictures of jumbled is needed:):):)
the onions are next to the kale though! I don't do rows, I do more like blocks most years, this year I did more of a row like thing. I need to be able to walk in there. perhaps some pictures of jumbled is needed:):):)
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rainbowgardener
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Jumbling is easy for me, because I garden in raised beds, that are narrow enough that I can reach everything from the outside. So I don't walk in them and I just fill each bed up with all kinds of stuff.
You could do the same thing without having to box anything in. Just think of your garden as a series of blocks with paths around them. 4x4 blocks would be easy. Throw all the dirt from the paths, into the blocks. Then just make sure every block is planted with a bunch of different things, including some aromatics (herbs, garlic, onions, etc) and flowers (look up flowers that attract beneficial insects- I did a post on it awhile back with link to a nice chart, but Search the Forum isn't working very well these days). Don't walk in the blocks, walk on the paths.
Your garden will be really pretty and have fewer insect problems.
PS in case it isn't clear, then the idea would be that you wouldn't have one block full of kale, you would have little bits of kale in 3 (or however many) different blocks, each with other stuff in it, not necessarily the same other stuff. It takes a little bit more planning and thoughtful planting, but then you have a wonderful garden. And if you let some things go to seed, then in future years, you will have less planning/ planting to do. You will just have a wonderful serendipitous garden where things come up where they decided to!
You could do the same thing without having to box anything in. Just think of your garden as a series of blocks with paths around them. 4x4 blocks would be easy. Throw all the dirt from the paths, into the blocks. Then just make sure every block is planted with a bunch of different things, including some aromatics (herbs, garlic, onions, etc) and flowers (look up flowers that attract beneficial insects- I did a post on it awhile back with link to a nice chart, but Search the Forum isn't working very well these days). Don't walk in the blocks, walk on the paths.
Your garden will be really pretty and have fewer insect problems.
PS in case it isn't clear, then the idea would be that you wouldn't have one block full of kale, you would have little bits of kale in 3 (or however many) different blocks, each with other stuff in it, not necessarily the same other stuff. It takes a little bit more planning and thoughtful planting, but then you have a wonderful garden. And if you let some things go to seed, then in future years, you will have less planning/ planting to do. You will just have a wonderful serendipitous garden where things come up where they decided to!
Last edited by rainbowgardener on Thu Aug 16, 2012 4:08 am, edited 1 time in total.