A Rough Year for some things

[Ridgerunner]

I find that some years are harder than others. The root cause of my problem this year is lack of rain. I've been watering so that is not the problem, but with the lack of rain, the only green things around is what I've been watering. That attracts every grasshopper for a long way around.

Last year with our triple digit heat and drought, I did not get any pole beans from my usually reliable Blue Lakes until it cooled off a bit in early October. Usually my first canning of them is the first of August. I'm not expecting anything out of them this year.

A little over a week ago, I could not see very many apples on this tree because it was covered with leaves. Then the grasshoppers found it.

Here are my Dr. Martin's lima Beans. They looked really good earlier.

They even like my Marigolds. This may be hard to see. It should be fully leafed out and covered with flowers.

They seem to like my Ash Tree too.

They even ate the silk off my sweet corn. It pollinated better than I thought it would, but not as well as it should. Then to add insult to injury, they start at the silks and eat the corn itself off the cob.

I have sprayed for them and killed a lot. That's why I think this last round of corn pollinated as well as it did. I also spread some Semaspore earlier. That's the stuff like BT that targets grasshoppers. I have noticed a lot of weak and sick grasshoppers around so I'm pretty sure it took care of a lot of them. But sometimes even making a dent in them is not enough.

It's not just grasshoppers. I've permanently removed 15 rabbits from my garden. That's not the ones just in the area. That is from my garden.

It's not all gloom and doom. Several things did well earlier before the drought took effect. My sweet peppers and okra are doing great. I've had pretty good tomatoes. Surprisingly, Im still getting a few set on in spite of the heat. I'm still getting eggplant, though blister beetles hurt the foliage earlier and they have not come back the way I hoped they would. I think my sweet potatoes will do well. I've dried quite a bit of herbs and hope to get more, though I noticed last night the Thyme was getting stripped by grasshoppers. If they move to herbs, they are getting hungry.

I'm not asking for sympathy. I'm in it as a hobby and for the fun. I'm not desperately hurting as far as having enough to eat. The ones I feel sorry for are the farmers that depend on the crops for a livelihood. They are feeding hay when they should be harvesting it. Row crops are dead. I don't want to see what food prices are going to do.

 

[lesa]

Wow, Ridgerunner- I had no idea grasshoppers could do so much damage! I certainly have them around- must be a few different kinds, some are quite small and others large... We did finally get some much needed rain, so a few things outside of the garden have begun to green up. I am with you, my heart goes out to the farmers. And yes, there is no doubt this will hit the consumer in the wallet. I recently read that NYS lost 80 percent of its apple harvest.

 

[Smart Red]

Awesome photos of destruction. I've read about locust 'plagues' but never expected to see such damage in middle America.

Here I've seen few grasshoppers - most in a chicken's mouth - and, despite the fact that my veggie garden is an oasis amidst a world of dry brown, I've seen little insect damage of any type.

I would be devastated if I came home to a sight such as in your photos!

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

Wow Ridgerunner! That is some gardening gloom and doom there. I am glad you have had some successes and that you take it all in stride. I too feel for those who rely on crops for their living and have such a tough time. It will no doubt show up in prices at the grocery store. This is why it is so important for those of us who can to grow what we are able to and share what we are able to.

 

[897tgigvib]

Oh! So sorry to hear about the grasshopper plague.

I know, if it isn't one thing, it's another.

I think I'd be tempted to get industrial quantities of Bt. and apply it all over the place.

I thought it was a bummer getting some aphids on my cole crop plants. You see how I am though. I used almost half a 25 pound sack of diatomaceous earth in that part of the garden before planting the winter things there. D.E. is surprisingly cheap. 25 pounds for 13 clams at tractor supply. I'd be double whammying those grasshoppers with DE and Bt. Go after them in all stages. You know what those buggers did with all they ate. They reproduced.

I wonder if it's possible to culture baccilus thuringensis

 

[cityfarmer]

Oh my!

 

[vfem]

I am speechless, I would be in tears.... absolute sobs if that were my garden.

You are tough to be looking on the bright side, that's for sure!

 

[Collector]

RR you may not want any sympathy but holy moly that stinks. I would be on a grasshopper rampage also were I you. It is hard to imagine the terrible drought in the Midwest, when our weather has for the most part been cooler and wetter than normal. Good luck with what you have left , hope it produces well for you.

 

[baymule]

Ridgerunner, my heart goes out to you. What devastation. It stinks. We all have our ups and downs in the gardens, but at least we can go to the store and buy something to eat. Farmers who depend on their farms for their livlihoods are the ones to feel sorry for. Last year here in Texas, our gardens burned up from the worst drought in 60 years. Ranchers sold their cattle, pastures burned and died. it was bad. I hope things get better for you.

 

[thistlebloom]

Alarming pictures.
I congratulate you on your optimism and take-it-in-stride attitude RR. I'm right there with you in sympathy for farmers. I hope we can recover from this blow quickly.

I thought my 'hoppers were bad last year! I experienced nothing like what you showed us.
On a good note, the Semaspore was effective, all I've seen this year are very small ones and not too many.