Vegetable garden troubleshooting: common problems, and solutions
You've worked hard on your vegetable garden; reap the rewards with preventative measures against pests and disease. Credit: AP
Home gardeners growing vegetables are by now knee-deep in their routines: weeding, watering, fertilizing and, hopefully, monitoring closely for insects, diseases and critter activity. Here's a little help for identifying some common harmful pests before they have a chance to destroy your crops -- and all your hard work, plus a few preventive measures.
Salt also is quite deadly to slugs: When it comes into contact with their bodies, slugs automatically release moisture to their outer surface in an attempt to dilute the irritating substance. As a result, they become dehydrated and die. The problem is that unless you're planning to sit up all night in your garden with a salt shaker and apply to each pest individually, you'll need to sprinkle salt around your plants, and that can be harmful to soil.
But the most effective weapon against rabbit damage is a chicken-wire fence installed around garden beds, which admittedly is unattractive. However, nearly foolproof, a 30- to 36-inch fence with mesh openings of an inch or smaller is your best bet. Rabbits do like to dig, so the fence should penetrate 8 inches below the soil line.
