Small Is Powerful

In my garden, small is powerful. The most redoubtable pests that I have to deal with are each the size of a full stop. As a new gardener, I looked at the full stops and said to myself "Oh... so cute!" and I left them alone. A few full stops became a moving mass of spots on my poor plant, and in a matter of weeks, my garden had turned from green to yellow. Spider mites are the size of a full stop. Soil mealies are a little bigger but not much. Whiteflies are about a full stop in size too! The only thing that's rather big in comparison are the slow-moving sheeplike mealybugs. They're white and they're woolly. What harm can they do?

A lot!

I relentlessly pursue these little things and given half a chance, they regain territory. I use oil and soap spray and my plants get oily and burnt. I slap them with my hands and scrape them with my nails and crush them with my fingers. The next day, there are more. Insecticides in an edible garden is a no-no, so I've resorted to the old fashioned way. Prune all leaves off. In an edible garden, that's a yes-yes. Whatever you prune, you also eat. I reckon that I also munch up quite a few insect eggs because if the insects are fullstops, then their eggs cannot be seen with the naked eye. At least, I don't see eggs, but the insects always come back!

Yup! Small is powerful. I'm big and a loser. But man! Even if I'm losing, I'm still gonna get them good.