I've found that often what we observe of disease or problems is taken
care of by the plant itself or actually causes little problem, other
than cosmetic. I had bean beetles show up and became concerned, but
they did littel damge and disappeared. Same for flea beetles on the
eggplant, which years a decimated my crop. Found three hornworms so
far is all, despite an abundance of adult sphinx working the flowers.
Maybe the cardinals are doing their job. I pay the effers enough in
sunflower seed.

Not always the case, of course.

Often time is the best cure. And of course healthy soil. Each year
that passes without my using any chemicals on my plants or soil and
continuing to build with organic matter, compost, etc, and never
tilling, I am finding fewer and fewer pests and problems.

Except for the damned cabbage looper things that love anything brassica
and wear me out handpicking catters and **** me off to no end. I've
likely done more damage by flailing away at the flying forms and
breaking plants than the worms destroy. ;-) This year I am planting
those things soon and try for a fall crop.

I raised chinese noodle beans last year, and seem to remember some
funky stuff early in their development. While interesting and a
curiosity, I couldn't get anyone here to be excited about them, other
than me. I did rather like them stirfried. I also enjoy carp, so I
guess I'll eat anything. We won't go into the culinary insect
experiments that are ongoing. ;-0

Care
Charlie

"The fair-weather gardener, who will do nothing except when the wind
and weather and everything else are favorable, is never master of his
craft."-- Henry Ellacombe


Um, yeah...my son is very much into culinary insect experiments ....
shudder

When do you plant cabbages and stuff for a fall crop? Do you direct seed
them, or start in pots/planters?

I grew the chinese noodle bean last year, but they did not do very well.
They did outgrow the deformed leaf stage when younger, but were never very
vigorous, nor did they produce much. I'm guessing they just don't like my
garden, but I'm not sure what they do like.

I have flea beetles and cucumber beetles, spotted and striped, so many that
they decimated my beans and melons, and darn near destroyed my eggplants. I
tried a few different things, but finally settled on neem oil applied every
4 days or so. They don't seem to like it, and the plants are just about big
enough that the beetle damage will no longer bother them.