Late June Veggie Garden Problems

Do you grow vegetables? If so, here are some situations you might be dealing with, their causes and the organic solutions.

Small Holes in Leaves
Cause: flea beetles
Solution: dust plants with diatomaceous earth, reapply after a rain. Usually two or three applications will be enough knock the beetles down to acceptable levels.

Shredded Leaves, Ragged Holes
Cause: earwigs
Solution: dust plants with diatomaceous earth, reapply after a rain. Usually two or three applications will be enough knock the earwigs down to acceptable levels.

Disappearing Seedlings
Cause: earwigs, slugs or bunnies
Solution: if your newly germinated seedlings are disappearing, they are being eaten. This is usually due to the critters listed above. Diatomaceous earth works for the earwigs and slugs, but if you suspect rabbit damage you’ll have to cover the planting areas with floating row cover or netting. Don’t worry – you can still replant various crops and they will catch up quickly once the sun comes out!

Brown Spots on Pepper Plants
Cause: leaf spot fungus
Solution: pick off leaves that are yellowing and spray plants with Serenade. Repeat this spray two or three times after seven days to protect newly growing leaves. Usually pepper plants grow out of leaf spot situations once the weather gets warmer and sunnier. It’s worse in damp, cool weather.

Tomatoes Not Growing Much
Cause: cool, damp weather
Solution: sunshine and heat! Hopefully the weather will get more summer-like in the next two weeks. Tomatoes like hot, sunny weather.  In the meantime, spray your tomato foliage with Serenade to discourage and suppress early blight, the fungal disease that is most common on the Cape.

Here are flea beetles (circled) and the damage on Broccoli Rabe. Flea beetles also love eggplant and chard, but can be seen on other crops as well.

Do you have a garden problem not covered here? Bring photos or bagged samples into the store and we’ll help you diagnose what’s going on and find a good solution.