How to keep vegetable plantings free of pests?
Q: I’d like to have a plan to reduce pests in my vegetable garden this year. There’s got to be an easier way than chasing after one booming population to the next…I hope!
A: There are a few tactics you can use to try to nip pest problems in the bud, and they stand the best chance of working well when you can combine several approaches.
First and foremost, exclude what pests you can. This is especially important early in the growing season when vegetable plants are vulnerable to pests like cabbageworms, flea beetles, cucumber beetles, Mexican bean beetles, and squash bugs. Floating row covers, so-named because they are propped-up to “float” above a crop row like a tent, are finely-woven enough to keep most insect pests from reaching your vegetables. While they block access for beneficial insects, you may not miss their services if the pests themselves aren’t an issue. For plants that must have pollinator visitation, like cucurbits and eggplant, only uncover them once blooming begins.
Second, include flowering plants in your gardens that draw a diverse array of insects, because many predatory beneficials visit flowers to fuel their prey search. By providing this alternate food source, you boost the suitability of your garden for their year-round residence. Then, they’re always around when you need them. Use a mix of plants
that have different flowering times and bloom shapes (trumpets, flat clusters, spires, etc.). Plants in the aster, mint, carrot, and milkweed families are among the most visited if your space is limited.
Third, try planting a bit late. Timing will depend on the crop, but delaying by three or four weeks after your usual planting date can dodge newly-awakened adult pests seeking hosts for feeding or egg-laying. The tradeoff with this technique is that you might shorten some of your harvest window, but if you split
the difference and only plant a portion of your crop late, you can at least get some harvest from the plants you put in on-time while sparing the others from any initial onslaught of pests.
Regularly inspect the tops and bottoms of leaves. This will alert you to a pest outbreak before it causes serious damage. Hand removal of these early interlopers is sometimes all you need to keep pest numbers below damaging levels. Otherwise, take off the row cover to let natural enemies descend on the buffet.
Q: We’re having some welcome respites of very mild weather. When can I put some of the plants I overwintered indoors back outside? I’m sure they miss the better light. A:
It’s easy to get caught-up in the moment during those lovely spring-preview days and want to liberate your houseplants to bask in the great outdoors. I know I’m antsy to get mine back outside. Try to wait until at least our last frost, though, which for Central Maryland averages about Mother’s Day. Some tropical plant species are more sensitive to cold than others, so you may be able to start the acclimation process for the tolerant ones earlier, if you pay attention to overnight temps and bring them back in when needed. In comparison, some may sulk if they’re exposed to temperatures below 60 degrees. If unsure, err on the side of caution; exposure to temperatures no lower than 55-60 degrees is a good assumption.
All plants, no matter how sun-loving they are, need time to adjust to the brighter light moving from indoors to outdoors, so they don’t sunburn. Shade outdoors is usually much brighter than direct light indoors, even though to our eyes it doesn’t look that different. Put anything you bring out into shade first, gradually introducing them to greater amounts of direct light (based on their needs) over a few weeks.
Even plants that need bright light inside don’t necessarily want unobstructed full sun outside, even once acclimated. Potted succulents and air plants, for instance, tend to fare well if shielded from the strongest afternoon summer sun by some dappled shade from either trees or shade cloth, or by a passing shadow from a building or fence.