Something a bit different today, not my usual metaphysical musings. I am going to share with you a garden solution which I have implemented - a solution to pests that have destroyed my crops many times.
The problem my crops have faced is the caterpillars of the 'white butterfly'. These very common and very numerous white butterflies start to appear when the weather gets warmer (which it is in New Zealand right now). Laying hundreds of eggs on the undersides of leafy green plants, these eventually hatch into little green caterpillars which eat every last leaf 馃槶
The reason that the white butterfly is such a veracious pest, is because of commercial non-organic growing operations. Massive mono crops and the use of chemical pesticides create a situation where these insects are able to breed massive populations. Quite naturally they seek to live and to create new life, roaming far and wide to find somewhere to lay their eggs. This is life being life, but we have created the situation through poor farming methods.
I have a good friend who is an organic farmer, and he has recommended one particular solution above all organic sprays, detterents, or other methods. I have visited his farm and seen it in action - his greens were absolutely beautiful! So what is this solution I am harping on about? Well here's a picture to give you an idea.
Hail Cloth
This particular mesh called 'hail cloth' is designed to cover crops and prevent hail damage, it's of a very particular size and shape which gives it good properties. The main properties are that it lets both sun and rain in, and wind blows right through it. I can cover my plants and still allow the natural elements to do their thing.
My little leafy greens garden all covered
Using a hodge-podge of stakes and pieces of wood that I had available I knocked this together. I feel that it will do the job, and after a few days of sun and rain I am confident that the plants are still getting what they need. It's a bit like a green house, a micro climate you might say.
The time investment was a few hours to put this together, and it cost me about 50 dollars for materials. If I don't have to micro manage various sprays and tiny caterpillars, then I would say I have saved myself a lot of time and stress in the long run.
A few wee spinach plants in their new home
My garden uses strictly organic mulches and fertilizers such as compost and seaweed. I definitely feel that my practices should be sustainable, especially since I am looking to scale up in the near future.
With this sustainable approach in mind, I start to wonder - how many years will the hail cloth last? And what will it become when it start to deteriorate? I am imagining perhaps three of four years, and then it will start to become tattered plastic with lots of little bits. I don't think that this plastic is particularly recyclable either.
So there is some compromise here I guess, it's not really an all natural solution, there is some waste that will be created eventually. I wonder if there is some kind of barrier method that uses natural materials. Hemp perhaps? I imagine that would degrade a lot faster than plastic.
Ultimately a glass house would be a very long lasting option based on the same principle. It could last a lifetime. That would create a different environment I guess, more intensely hot and humid - potentially too hot in the middle of summer!
If anyone has some insights, please drop a comment I would love to hear what you have to say.
Much Love
