So what the heck is eating my plants? I am in San Francisco, and the plants in containers are not having any problems at all. The Chard is just dying... I think the other two are Sages... Help!

Maybe there's a grasshopper or a katydid..??

Grasshopper is the first thing I thought of, too. I had a small one in my GH a couple of years ago. Managed to get it before it did too much damage, but it was just luck that I spotted it in mid-hop.

Wow. I would be surprised at either one of them. I have pretty good years and have never heard a Grasshopper, and I go out with a light at nite looking for snails so am in the garden , like forever. I have never seen anything but whiteflys and I got them with detergent and water. I am not saying that it wouldn't be, boy I am really confused.

I never have found snails munching on my plants but nearly every night I go out and kill caterpillars and slugs.

Well, grasshoppers don't make noise....(unless you can hear them chewing on the leaves.. ) But generally you'll see them hop out of your way.

Mike, one of the pests on your chard may be leaf miners, looks just like the damage they did on my Datura plants, when I found out what it was I starting squishing then inside the leaf, now I know you can't do that with a bunch of chard, you will have to find another way to get rid of them.

I found the problem. For months there have been a lot of white moths in th
e backyard. Last night I found a small green thing like a Caterpillar munching away... My guess is now that the littlee creepers are the culprits. So now what do I do? Dishsoap in water as a spray? No chemicals don't cha know.

Huh. The only thing I've ever had those little rascals attack was my cabbage. Which is why they're referred to as "cabbage moths." I've just about given up on cabbage because of them. I personally have no idea what to do once the larvae hatch out. Hope someone else has some ideas!

I know this is a late response, but I think Bt should be effective against caterpillar type pests, and I'm pretty sure it's considered "organic," although that definition keeps shifting around. :-)

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/p...

Bacillus thuringiensis. I found this stuff and thank you for your help. How does it install? Does it have to actually hit the critters, or is it being sprayed on the leaves good enough? Does it have to go on the underside of the leaves? Again, thanks for th e info!

You spray it on the foliage, and they ingest it. Top or bottom of the leaves, they should run into it. Apply according to label directions, and you should be fine!