Row by Row Episode 126: Fighting Off Those Cool-Season Pests!
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Dealing with Cool Season Pests
When it comes to dealing with cool-season pests it can be a little different than those pesky warm-season pests. The biggest way to control the cool-season pests is to have a spray program early in the vegetable garden. During the cool season, there are four different kinds of species that can cause the most trouble such as the diamondback caterpillar, cabbage lopper, cabbageworm, and the cutworm. Although most people like to identify these species there really is no need to because the treatment to control them is the same except for cutworms. Another insect that a lot of people deal with during the cool season is slugs. We recommend using Sluggo Plus which is a bait that you sprinkle along the ground to kill them off. The last set of cool-season pests that you will have to deal with in the garden is the flying insects such as aphids, whiteflies, and earwigs.
In order to control these cool-season pests, you need a spraying schedule that is best suitable for your garden and the pest you struggle with. Travis goes over his top cool-season pest control products that he has found to work great in his garden. The first week, he mixes B.t., Neem Oil, and the Complete Disease Control. The next week he will use the B.t., Horticultural Oil, and Liquid-Cop. However, if his worm pressure increases for any reason he switches the B.t. out for Spinosad in order to knock them out of the vegetable garden.
In Greg's garden, he switches it up a little bit and mixes the Fruit Tree Spray and Complete Disease Control one week. Then, the next week he doesn't play around with his bad worm pressures so he uses B.t., Liquid-Cop, and Spinosad. The B.t. works only on worms and hits them as a feeder. The Spinosad works as a stomach poisoning or for direct contact. While the Liquid-Cop is ideal for controlling the blights and some of the disease pressures in the garden.
General Pest Control Practices
- If you had a problem last year with a certain pest, you can guarantee you will have a problem this year. So control that pest early in the vegetable garden this year.
- Spray early and at least weekly in the garden.
- Don't be afraid to make cocktails and rotate your pest control products.
- If you do a good job controlling your pests this year, then next year it will be a lot better.
- Maintain a clean garden.
Show and Tell Segment
On the show and tell segment this week, Greg and Travis talk about a hurricane which means lots of rain/wind getting ready to hit South Georgia and the surrounding area. They also talk about all the vegetables they got planted this week such as elephant garlic and onions. Greg has a bit of a problem with rabbits in the vegetable garden, but he is getting ready to solve that issue soon.
Travis shares a couple more new varieties for 2021 that we are carrying now. The first variety is the Better Boy Tomato which is a popular indeterminate that makes huge, tangy tomatoes that are ideal for slicing and making sauces. Next, is the Purple Boy which produces deep purple fruits with an exceptional flavor profile. Another new variety is the Lemon Boy that makes a bright yellow tomato with higher-yielding compared to other varieties. Also, we now have the All American Selections winner, Big Beef Tomato available. This is a large, beefsteak tomato that is considered to be the gold standard for fresh market tomatoes in many areas of the country.
Viewer Questions
For the Q & A segment this week, the guys answer some viewer questions that were asked on last week’s show. If you have an Earthbox can you use our Container Watering Kits? Greg mentions that you can use our container kits for Earthbox and should work with no problem. The next question is whether you should order spring seeds now or wait until fresh seeds are available. All the seeds we have available now are fresh and have been germ tested based on the State of Georgia laws. There are a few varieties that we will sell out of this year and won't be able to get back in stock till next year.