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Fire Ants, Aphids, other Problems, and more Direct Seeding

Today’s theme it seems is problem solving. As I walk around my plot to do my field observation ritual, I noticed the ants crawling on my beans and around the Chinese cabbage. Ants pose a big problem to crops because they bring aphids, which feed on the plants. We found the ant mound and used an ant killer product to hopefully get rid of them.

Ants crawling on bean plant
Gita bean with ants on the stem

I looked for aphids on the beans and found some on top of the stems. I sprayed them with a soapy-oil solution in which the recipe can be found in the UH Master Gardener Program website.

snow peas
Snow Peas with possible nutrition deficiency.

After dealing with the insects, I noticed that the snow peas are turning red, and one plant looks dry and wilted. My coach suggests that the plant is deficient in some nutrients. So I will have to come back with a solution, hopefully, after I research the problem.

red indigo tomato
Tomato plant with leafminers.

The tomato plant leaves look infected, but my farm coach advised that they are leafminers and they are not usually threatening to plants. I sure hope not.

At first I was disappointed that my plants were having all kinds of problems, but then I realized that having these problems allowed me to dig deeper into researching, learning, and finding solutions.

To end the farm visit on a positive note, I direct seeded kohlrabi, arugula, cilantro, and kale. I hope they do much better than their older neighbors.

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