Green Beasts

Things are moving along. Nothing is churning up big time but there is a steady flow. So far beans, okra, chard, and basil are my main plants.

The bean plants themselves are looking worse and worse everyday, but they are still mustering up a handful of munchables so I can't complain too much. I finally got a lead on one of the issues. Several of the plants were weak at the bottom and starting to lean over. I found rolly pollies blanketing the stem for about two inches up from where the plants meet the ground. I read that pill bugs are beneficial to gardens but the huge number covering them just didn't seem healthy. To make matters worse, I tried surrounding each plant with cinnamon and then later a pile of DE (diatomaceous earth) and the bugs barely noticed. Those were my main lines of defense! I tried the ole' "nothing" method on the plants for a while too. The one or two bean plants that looked really good I had never doused with anything other than water, so I thought maybe the plants just needed a breather. Anyway, after trying this method for a few days the plants were sporting a nice spray of light brown on the tops of the leaves. So who knows.

We also had a brief mystery last week. One of my bell pepper plants lost all its leaves. It was a lush bushy plant one second and then a skeleton the next. 

When I found it, there were no scraps around. None of the plants in the vicinity were damaged, ruling out a big clumsy animal lumbering through and messing stuff up or birds landing in a tussle. Obviously there was only one reasonable explanation: sabotage. The other morning there was a big brown cardboard box sitting in the middle of the garden, and that same day the drip hose was detached and the timer had been tinkered with. I thought this bell pepper situation was just my tormentor taking things to a new level. Spooked, I avoided the plant for a while. I carried out my normal pruning and watering tasks, certain that the neighbors were lurking behind their drapes, watching my reaction as I stumbled upon their latest affront. All the passers by reeked of malintent and the shadows seemed to be getting longer and bigger by the second (or maybe it was just dusk, what ever). Finally I had no other choice but to deal with the plant. I figured I might as well just finish what was started, just to let them know I wasn't shaken. I went to pluck off one of the last two leaves but when I turned it over I found THIS on the bottom...

It is a hornworm! I yelped and jumped back a little. I was startled and it is terrifying! This grub had been eating my plant all day, and it basically ate the entire thing. I sprayed all the plants and ground near by in soapy water- they are not into the soapy taste apparently, and the grub met its fate on the concrete, under my dad's shoe. Green liquid squirted out when he stepped on it. That green liquid was my whole digested plant, reduced to a deep hued slime. Ugh that jerk grub.

I read later that there were other options for taking care of the worm. I was reminded that I could have put it in a jar and watched it turn into a moth. I would like to say that I am an adult and so over mini experiments like that and that I don't have time for watching life cycles play out anymore, but that would be a bold face lie. The moment I read that option I immediately had a pang of regret for authorizing its kill, and I felt bad that hadn't even crossed my mind when I was considering what to do next. I could have let it live out its life in captivity. I froze when I found the grub initially, I had never dealt with a bug this huge. As much as I'd love to see a grub turn into a moth though, that is pretty cool you must admit, it was overruled by the majority of me that just wanted the relief in knowing we took it out of the picture completely.

When I was little I didn't think twice before killing bugs. Sort of in the same vein, I loved fishing too. The feeling of catching a fish was great and even cleaning them was fun for me. I was also the one that did my science project on putting salt on slugs. I was given a microscope set for my birthday that year and I kind of turned into a mad scientist for a while. There was a tier in my head I suppose, and at some point that fact that it was a living creature was less significant, and I didn't really understand that there was a choice in what measure I took to deal with pests. I didn't realize that fish were still just as much living animals as whatever else people hunt. Eventually I guess I just started noticing when friends would catch and release something instead of just stomping on it. Texas is kind of  buggy place though, and my family comes from a line of people with a more no-nonsense approach to pets and bugs in general. Your obligation to wildlife encroaching on your personal space uninvited is a favor at best. My parents were pretty progressive on this front compared to most, but we still killed pests when it came down to it. For the most part I just go with my first impulse and kill the invaders, but I have softened quite a bit since my younger days and I think it is a nice practice to consider alternatives sometimes. Even if it's just an exercise in restraint. I did feel less bad though, about the hornworm squishing, after reading about another likely fate it could have met. If you see one covered in white pods, just let it be. Its days are numbered. A wasp has laid eggs on it that will feast and eventually emerge to build a cocoon. Nature is pretty gruesome on its own.

We picked a watermelon because it had looked the same way for over a week, same size and color, but we picked it too soon. It wasn't ripe enough. It still tasted pretty good but we can do better. There seem to be plenty of little watermelons popping up so we should have more than one go at this. A cantaloupe finally made an appearance! And I gotta keep a close eye on the cucumber plants. They have subsumed two chard plants and I found one of the tendrils wrapping around a bean plant and pulling it over. It is such a tangled mess right now. It is hard to catch the cucumbers in time. On Saturday I went by and found this huge one buried in the jumble.

Crazy cucumber and okra

Cucumber

Okra

Cantaloupe

Dinner: Cucumber salad, chard, and okra/bean veggie medley with a minty cucumber drink.
We are growing mint too by the way, we added it later.

So the majority of what is still standing in the garden is thriving. I wish the jalapenos would start contributing again, and it would be nice to see at least one bell pepper this season, but my chances on that front seem to be getting smaller and smaller. For the most part, I am just stoked to still see a bunch of huge bright green plants when I roll up to take care of things and do damage control.

Oh, and happy 4th of July weekend!