Plant Pests

  1. Pest Management: The Lygus Bug

    All of the carrots grown for seed in North America and Europe are biennials. This means that the plants will take two seasons to fully mature and require a period of cold temperatures to induce flowering and the production of seeds. Biennial crops can be tricky; their extended stay in the field can further expose them to the damaging pressures...
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  2. Carrot Seed Production Enemy: The Lygus Bug

    If you notice that some of your favorite carrot varieties are temporarily unavailable or backordered, this could be caused by a surging population of a pest that has a particular taste for Umbellifers, the family of plants that carrots belong to. Lygus Bugs, an insect categorization with over 40 unique species, are common across North America with a notorious reputation for causing significant...
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  3. Winter Lettuce Production

    Growing Lettuce in the Winter When we think of winter crops, we think of tough, leafy greens and durable roots that grow close to the ground and survive the low light and cold temperatures of winter, in part due to their robustness and strength. These crops are often delicious, sweetened with the frosts and hardy to the difficult growing conditions of the cool seasons. One crop that...
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  4. Introducing the Swede Midge

    There’s a new pest entering the scene and it is wreaking havoc on brassicas crops such as cabbage, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, broccoli and kale. It’s called the swede midge and it's larvae feed off of and destroy the growth point of plants.  As a new and invasive pest that currently has no organic approved pesticides that work to eradicate it, early detection and...
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  5. Crop Talk: Potatoes & The CPB

    Here’s a confession for you to start the month: We love potatoes. But it’s safe to say we hate the Colorado Potato Beetle. We're guessing you might know what we're talking about. For those of you in the regions lucky enough to not have to deal with the destruction this little bug brings, we hope this Crop Talk may still serve...
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  6. Pest or No Pest? How to Diagnose Abiotic Plant Disorders

    There are a myriad of ways a plant can show signs of abnormalities. Sometimes these abnormalities are due to the worst causes – namely harmful pests or diseases. But other times, the symptoms are emblematic of an underlying cause, either cultural or environmental, and can often be reversed as long as diagnosis is correct and treatment is swift. When a...
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  7. Common Plant Pests & Organic Control Options

    We’ve posted several in-depth articles on pest control here on our Seed Hopper blog before, and you can find all of them archived in the “Plant Pests” category in the left-hand navigation column. They include coverage of Striped Cucumber Beetles, Colorado Potato Beetles, Japanese Beetles and Bloat Nematodes. Our “What’s Wrong with My Garden?” series goes over many common plant...
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  8. Crop Talk: Tomatoes

    Let’s talk tomatoes. Almost no other crop screams “summer” like a vine-ripened tomato straight off the plant. Whether it’s a full-on beefsteak or a handful of colorful cherries, that first harvest of the season is the moment farmer and consumer alike have been waiting for since January. At High Mowing, we’ve put together a solid collection of resources for organic...
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  9. Philosophies on Floating Row Cover

    An Introduction to Floating Row Cover Organic growers have always had to create innovative, safe and effective ways of dealing with the many negative pressures that can affect plants. Unlike conventional farm models, organic growers choose not to utilize broad-reaching and destructive applications like synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers to help their plants avoid pests and disease. But no farm...
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  10. Pest Management on the Small Farm

    Katie & Edge with their son Waylon Like all good medicine, our pest management is built on prevention. At Good Heart Farmstead, we don’t use any pesticide sprays, and instead focus our efforts on creating a balanced system, which includes building healthy soil to grow strong, hearty plants. Here’s a round-up (organic, that is!) of our pest prevention techniques: Decrease...
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