Urban Gardening Challenges

Urban gardening is not without its challenges. Some that we've been facing and implementing solutions to are:

• Groundhogs! Furry and cute but such nuisances in our garden! A family of groundhogs lives underneath the shed outside the garden fence and regularly feeds on our crops. Our peas, lettuce, cabbages and many of our cucumbers were demolished quickly by these critters. The young groundhog newly kicked out of its parent's den moved in underneath our composter inside the garden fence.
  

• Solution: We have tried so many things! Pinwheels, scarecrow, bells on the fence, blood meal, dog hair, and finally a live trap awaits the groundhog this very evening. Fingers crossed!

• People! Passersby have stolen some of our bamboo poles used to stake our tomatoes, ripping the plants out in the process. Our first ripe tomato was also stolen from the vine. This is saddening to me and the youth who work so incredibly hard to make this garden thrive.

• Solution: painted sign indicating the food is grown by youth in the community for the food banks. More community awareness would help as well.
  

• Pests! (insect pests this time): Japanese beetles have been eating some of our basil (they like the purple kinds the best). They seem to have disappeared over the past week. Cucumber beetles have been infesting our curcurbits (cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkins) for the past 2 weeks. The young larvae feed on the stems and roots of plants in spring, then emerge as adults, feeding on the leaves and fruit. These insects can produce a bacteria when they eat the plants and cause what's called bacterial wilt on the plant.

• Solution: Daily manual squashing of the cucumber beetles in the mornings to reduce the population. Removal of leaves affected by bacterial wilt. The beetles are more lethargic in the mornings and cannot fly away as quickly with the morning dew on their wings. Controlling the population of beetles in turn controls the bacterial wilt.

 

Bacterial wilt on the stem of a pumpkin plant

 

Yellow and black striped cucumber beetles and bees on a pumpkin flower

Despite the challenges, the garden is a rewarding place. A place where ideas become reality, and growth is visible and exciting. A place of constant learning. The youth who have been coming out regularly to volunteer, even in the rain, have been absolutely wonderful and the garden could not run without their devoted efforts.