

This year I've put the diatoms on potato plants to keep the flea beetles from doing too much damage. I also put it on the small tomato plants when I found a couple of flea beetles there, but they didn't ever do too much damage anyway. All of the cucurbits were getting munched when they were tiny, so I used it on them. My zinnia and sunflower plants were taking a beating, too, and after a couple of days of the stuff, they were able to get ahead of whatever was eating them and now they look very robust. Just for the heck of it, I sprinkled it on the tiny carrot plants to attempt to keep root maggots from making homes in my spring carrots, but then I had second thoughts of continuing the experiment because I always find black swallowtail caterpillars on the spring carrots.
I've just run out of diatomaceous earth. A four pound bag lasted me one and half seasons. I've got to track some more down today. I bought my last bag at the Agway in Pulaski, NY. You can also get it at pool supply stores because it's used in some pool filtration systems. It's also sold as a household treatment for ants and roaches. I always used gloves when applying it, but recently I used my bare hands. I try not to breathe it or get it in my eyes. I wash my hands immediately after I'm done because you can get a scratchy, dry feeling from it. But I haven't had any lasting reaction to it at all.
Floating row covers can also keep pests away, especially if you secure them with soil or other more substantial anchors. The ones above are mostly to get the soil and ambient air temperature up around the peppers and tomatoes on cool, cloudy days.
There's a little flea beetle and the tiny holes they put in potato (and plenty of other) plants.
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