This is the worst we have ever seen them. The mild winter and prolonged wet spring combined with last year's more than ample grasshopper population has caused this. A female grasshopper can lay 200 eggs! They are still small, some only 1/4 inch long but they are eating holes in the rhubarb leaves. Some leaves have more holes than green leaf left. So far rhubarb seems to be their favorite. It's a mystery why eating rhubarb leaves doesn't make them sick. I wish it did. Today I sprayed the grass around the plants and hope that keeps them from being munched to death. I want to keep selling rhubarb for at least another month. Rhubarb combined with many fruits makes good jam, jelly and baked goods. I've eaten jam called bluebarb and seen jars of other rhubarb and berry or rhubarb and fruit mixtures. In the flower beds I see iris leaves are pretty well munched so I might have to spray something there, maybe just soapy water so I don't kill bees that come to visit.
Another observation about the rhubarb is that my older plants do not look as healthy as the younger ones. I might dig some root pieces off the younger ones and plant them in another location this fall or early next spring. I think fall would be better because they will grow more roots before the ground freezes, especially if I put cardboard around them which will not only help suppress weeds but keep the soil a bit warmer as well.
My free rhubarb plant from the farmer's market is doing well. It was lots of new leaves.
It's about time to start digging up the garlic but first I need to cut off the scapes from the hard neck varieties. The person who buys my produce can sell bundles of garlic scapes through her subscription box service (known as CSA, community supported agriculture.) She also has a farm stand in town. It's handy for me to sell to her because she lives about 2 miles down our road. I can have produce to her just minutes after it is picked. She's been doing this business for many years and has a lot of connections to buy things such as corn and melons that they do not grow on their farm. Their garden is several acres and some years they have a pumpkin patch/corn maze. People come to it by the bus load!
Bunnies started munching the cabbages so we bought a roll of 24 inch high chicken wire with 1 inch holes. Hubby helped me by unrolling the wire while I drove stakes to support it. Two nights without more damage so I'll call it a success.
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| Thread Title | Last Reply | Replies |
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| Rhubarb by LysmachiaMoon | Jul 31, 2023 6:27 PM | 3 |
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