Bug Damage in the Garden

Our beans are growing wonderfully well despite the heat and lack of rain.   I have watered them a few times since we returned and was able to harvest a handful of Blue Lake green beans yesterday.   There are many, many white flowers so thinking there will be tons of beans soon.  

I have 5 rows of Jacob's Cattle bean which is a dry bean and 5 rows of the Blue Lake growing side by side and just recently added the 3 stakes between the varieties so I can keep them separate.   The Jacob's Cattle I will leave on the plant to dry and show you when I harvest them how easy they are to crack open and store.   Notice all the damage on the leaves from the bugs and they won't stop there - they will damage the beans also.  

I have plenty of garlic so I decided to make an insect spray to fight off the bugs.   I have seen several different combinations posted around and decided to try the following -

Garlic Insect Spray

12 cloves garlic, chopped

4 oz mineral oil (I used what I had - vegetable oil)

Soak the above 1-2 days, strain

Add 3-4 drops of dish soap

Put in a sprayer - add 2 cups water and shake well

It's a good idea to check daily for signs of bug or disease damage.   I have found quite a number of the dreaded Tomato Hornworm and just today spotted eggs on 2 different tomato plants, which I destroyed.

I am happy to report that the seeds I planted earlier in the week have sprouted - spinach, radish, lettuce and arugula.   Now the trick will be to keep them watered and hope the heat lets up a bit.   The produce down here seems more expensive and since I am a heavy salad eater I am hoping to keep the lettuce and spinach growing for as long as I can...quite possibly growing some in containers indoors during the winter months.

Arugula sprouts