The second joy in my day is going to the garden with a cup of coffee to water and take care of the plants. (My first joy is waking up next to my husband and getting the first smooch of the day) Today . . . the joyfulness got sucked right out of my morning.
My beloved zucchini plants went from lush, vibrant and happy to sad and pitiful in ONE day! I repeat ONE day.
Before:
After:
From what? Hairy booger bugs . . . AKA squash lady beetle larvae. Yes, I’ve posted about them before. Yes, I’ve been taking steps to discourage them. Yes, I’ve been making every effort to remove the adult bugs, the larvae and the egg clusters from the plants whenever I find them. Seriously, what the duck?
I spent an hour this morning pulling these foul pests from the leaves and removing egg clusters. I’m thoroughly disgusted and cootied-up. Yuck!
I am so not happy . . . I’m going to have to go medieval on these parasites! Our options are limited because the community garden in which our plot resides is mandated all organic.
It's time for action! This time I’m going to try Neem oil. It is a recommended pesticide for organic gardening. It is a vegetable oil pressed from the fruits and seeds of neem (Azadirachta indica), an evergreen tree. Neem oil is generally light to dark brown, bitter and has a rather strong odor that is said to combine the odors of peanut and garlic. It comprises mainly triglycerides and large amounts of triterpenoid compounds, which are responsible for the bitter taste. The bugs don’t like it and that’s good because I don’t like them!
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