[Market-farming] row covers and flea beetles and white-on-black mulch

Allan Balliett aballiett at frontiernet.net
Fri May 15 07:00:42 EDT 2009


I'd like to grow a decent crop of rapini for the CSA this early summer.

Flea beetles are a big problem for us.

My early experiments with row cover and flea beetles gave me crops 
that were devoured by flea beetles when I finally lifted the row 
cover. For this reason, I've remained dubious.

But I hear so many proclaim the benefits of row cover that I'm ready 
to try again.

One error I apparently made was that I didn't put the row covers on 
on the day of seeding. Is this a necessity? In an area of the garden 
known to have flea beetles is bare soil/worked soil enough to repel 
them for a while or do you spray a repellant or insecticide on the 
bare soil before putting on the row cover?

I have a roll of the white-on-black plastic mulch that I've never 
used. I'm wondering if those of you who use it think it w.b. a good 
plastic to use with a row covered raab/rapini planting. (I'm 
concerned about leaving the row cover on until harvest, so I don't 
want to have to worry about weeds.

And, do I have it straight on this white-on-black plastic mulch? It 
really will COOL the soil rather than heat it, thereby prolonging the 
non-bolting life of brassicas grown on it?

Thanks for listening.

-Allan in WV


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