Have you ever gone out to your garden and realized that one of your plants was covered in aphids? Maybe you missed the early signs of infestation, or maybe you left town for a trip or vacation and came back to an aphid-infested plant. Whatever the reason, if you’ve got a plant with aphids, you’re…
If you’ve ever dealt with aphids, you’ve likely seen black and green varieties since those are the most common aphid colors. But have you ever seen white or whitish bugs–by themselves, in clusters, or scattered among black and green aphids–and wondered if they were aphids too? Adult aphids are rarely white, but aphid nymphs and…
I’ve written at length about the arrival of black aphids in my garden last summer—and the kinds of damage they did to my okra plants—but I noticed something interesting recently. This year, I decided to grow a red okra variety (called Red Velvet), and as I was harvesting some of the red pods, I saw…
If you’ve been gardening for any time at all, you’ve likely had aphids in your garden, even if you didn’t realize it at the time. These little pests show up out of nowhere, reproduce exponentially, and cluster around your plants’ leaves and flowers. If you’ve seen clusters of little black bugs on your plants, you…
I’ve been gardening for 10+ years, and in all that time, there are few pests that annoy me as much as spider mites. They arrive unnoticed, reproduce exponentially, drain plants of their cellular juices, and spin wispy webs in order to hitch a ride to other corners of your property (and beyond). One week, your…
Marigolds have long been prized by gardeners for their ability to attract pollinators and repel certain garden pests (such as nematodes), which makes them a particularly effective companion to plant alongside tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, and other garden favorites. But have you ever wondered what kind of effect they have on spider mites? Do spider mites…
If you’ve gardened for any period of time, you’ve likely dealt with spider mites. These tiny little creatures appear unexpectedly and reproduce exponentially, and if you’re not careful, they’ll take over your garden in a few short weeks. However, if you plan your garden properly, you can intersperse plants that spider mites attack with those…
During the past few months, I’ve been writing extensively about spider mites, trying to share what I’ve learned over the years with other gardeners who are battling these tiny pests. One of the reasons I’m so interested in them is that they seem both inevitable and unavoidable: Every gardener I know–from novices to experts–has had…
I’ve dealt with plenty of garden pests over the years, but of all of them, spider mites might be the most infuriating. They show up out of nowhere and reproduce quickly, and if they aren’t stopped, they’ll suck the chlorophyll from your plants and kill them within a few short weeks. In fact, it was…
Have you ever had plants in your garden that looked great…until they didn’t. Maybe you noticed clusters of small white dots expanding across your plant’s leaves or even patches of dried or decayed foliage. Maybe, like me when I was a novice gardener, you saw entire plants wiped out in just a few weeks, only…
