The 5 Steps To Take When Damage Occurs in Your Vegetable Garden

That’s it, you’ve finished sowing and planting your spring crops in the vegetable garden and you’re proud of your work. But then one fine morning, you notice one or more signs of damage. Don’t panic!

Before bringing out the “weapons of mass destruction” and causing more harm than good, take the time to think about the situation. If you called out to me impatiently, saying, “Lili, I have a problem in my vegetable garden. What should I do, what should I do?” I would be tempted to reply, “I can’t help you. You’re in too much of a hurry.“
The ecological approach is not a ready-made solution. You have to take the time to assess the situation. In fact, ecology is defined as the science that studies the relationships between living things and their environment. If you really want to garden ecologically, you have to observe and not just blindly follow recipes.

That’s why, when damage occurs in the vegetable garden, I suggest the following five steps.

Step 1. Identify the Culprit

Damage to vegetable plants can be caused by pests (most often insects that feed on our plants), diseases associated with the presence of pathogenic microorganisms (e.g., powdery mildew), poor cultural practices, or inadequate weather conditions (e.g., cold). Finally, a passing mammal—a groundhog or even a human—could find themselves in the “dock.”

If you manage to “catch the culprit in the act,” identification should be easier. But it is important not to jump to conclusions about the creature you are observing. The earwig (that unloved creature that is often wrongly accused) that you saw hiding in a hole in a pepper may not be the culprit, which could instead be a slug.

Most Often, It Is the Damage That Speaks.

• A bean plant cut at the base but left in place. It’s a safe bet that a cutworm came and nibbled on the plant at the collar during the night.
• The leaves and stem of a cucumber plant have been completely eaten. You have to consider the possibility that a groundhog or hare fed on it out of sight.
• Numerous tiny holes have turned the eggplant leaves into lace. Look closely and you will probably see flea beetles, tiny beetles that jump when you touch the leaves.
• You may notice irregular holes and shiny spots on cabbage leaves. Think of slugs, which move around using the slimy mucus they produce, which becomes shiny as it dries.

Several critters do their dirty work at night. Your investigation could make some serious progress if you take a little nighttime stroll through the garden with a headlamp. In fact, I suggest you try this at least once this summer. If you don’t visit the insectarium, you’ll discover that there’s sometimes quite a party going on in your garden at night.

In short, it’s time to put your detective skills to good use.

Step 2. Decide Whether to Intervene

Now that you have identified the culprit, you have a choice: take action or do nothing.

Depending on the culprit, the importance of the crop, the extent of the damage, and your tolerance threshold, the best course of action may be to let nature do the work for you.

A diverse and healthy garden is home to a whole host of creatures, many of which are allies. Think of spiders, ladybugs, and ground beetles, which feed on many pests. But also essential pollinators such as bumblebees.

Step 3. Control the Damage Using Physical Methods

When it is really necessary to intervene to save the crop, physical methods should be the first choice, as they have few negative consequences for the environment and our health.

Several insect pests lay their eggs on the underside of the leaves of the plants they target. This is the case with the Colorado potato beetle, the cabbage white butterfly, and the beet leaf miner. Take the time to regularly turn over the leaves of these plants and if you see any eggs, don’t hesitate to crush them with your thumb. Wear gloves if necessary.

Regularly collect Colorado potato beetle larvae and adults by hand, dropping them into a small bucket of soapy water or vacuuming them up with a small handheld vacuum cleaner. This remains an excellent method for controlling several pests.

Set traps or barriers to block pests from accessing the crops they are targeting. Insect netting is a very effective barrier, provided it is installed correctly and at the right time, and combined with crop rotation.

Step 4. Control the Damage With a Biopesticide

Although there are a few biopesticides such as BTK, insecticidal soap, and sulfur, these products should always be used as a last resort. Even though these products are considered to have a “low impact” on the environment, it is important to note that “low impact” does not mean “no impact.”

Biopesticides can also harm the environment, including certain beneficial or endangered insects. Even the popular BTK, which has the advantage of being specific to Lepidoptera (butterflies), does not primarily affect pest butterflies. As such, it could be harmful to the famous monarch butterfly, whose population has declined significantly in recent years.

Step 5. Question the Cause and Rethink Your Practices

Despite the damage, you managed to get a satisfactory harvest using a biopesticide!

With hindsight, now is the time to ask yourself some questions. Do you want to continue treating your vegetable plants this way in the future?

Of course, one option would be to give up growing that particular crop. But that would be a shame.

Better Safe Than Sorry

Instead, I suggest you prevent rather than cure by adopting the following gardening practices:

• Create a diverse environment to encourage the presence of allies (insects and other animals) by providing them with food and shelter.
• Rotate crops, avoiding growing the same plants in the same place year after year.
• Get to know your soil and pamper it by minimizing work, using compost, and natural fertilizers if necessary.
• Cover the soil with mulch. In addition to its well-known benefits (weed control and soil moisture conservation), this helps minimize pest and disease problems.
• Water the right way and at the right time. Opt for manual watering or micro-irrigation, methods that allow you to water the soil directly rather than the plant. Water less often, but in larger amounts. Water in the morning and especially not in the evening, as this creates a humid environment conducive to the establishment of fungal diseases.
• Provide optimal growing conditions for plants after sowing and transplanting. This will ensure that plants are more vigorous if a pest or disease occurs.
• Encourage good plant combinations by pairing herbs with vegetables, for example.
• Make good choices for growing in pots or containers. Opt for large containers and high-quality potting mix. Avoid black earth.

On that note, I wish you a bountiful harvest… without too much damage to the vegetable garden.