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

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  • From: Allan Balliett <aballiett AT frontiernet.net>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Market-farming] row covers and flea beetles and white-on-black mulch
  • Date: Fri, 15 May 2009 07:00:42 -0400

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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