Veggies Under Attack

Vegetables tend to be a bit too fussy for me (too many pests and diseases to worry about), but after the winter we just had, I was craving veggies like never before. I sprouted peppers, tomatoes, eggplant and peas. I also purchased some kale plants.

The peas loved the cool spring we had and are just starting to form pods. I’m growing ‘Sugar Ann’ because the vines only grow 18-24″ tall—great for small gardens.

I planted 12 tomatoes (all different varieties). The first to blossom and start forming fruit was ‘Fourth of July’.

I bought 4 Kale plants at a garden center in April. In fact it was snowing the day I purchased them. I misplaced the tag so the cultivar name is a mystery to me, but like my peas they loved our chilly spring and have been growing like weeds. I add the leaves to my salads and they are surprisingly mild and tasty.

Even my herb garden is robust. I have Italian parsley, lemon thyme and sweet basil growing together in a barrel. They have thrived in our rainy weather and are growing faster than I can use them.

I wish I could say the same for my eggplant and peppers. Because we had so much rain lately, I wasn’t outside scouting the garden for problems like I usually do. I may have discovered the damage too late.

At first I thought rabbits were to blame, but the plant stalks are all intact and some plants still have leaves just barely hanging from them. That’s not very rabbit-like. My guess is earwigs or slugs since the damage is only occurring at night. I could go out with a flashlight after dark and put an end to the mystery, but bug infestations are disgusting enough during the day, I don’t really want that image in my head before bed time.

This is what’s left of my eggplant. I think there’s still hope that new leaves will form on the main stalk:

Some of my peppers are just pathetic stumps, and probably damaged beyond repair:

My first instinct was to pull out the plants and buy something else to stick in their spot, but I’ll be patient and see if any of the plants rally. If not, there’s always the farmer’s market!