Just need to vent a little, but I am so tired of spider mites devouring my garden. I keep them down using a water spray, but this is of course not enough to get entirely rid of them, and with the heat wave they are multiplying fast. I spend a lot of time doing this. I’ve tried some various oil concoctions (not neem oil, as that has been a little hard to source where I am, but canola oil was one I found recommended) without much luck, and they left a sticky residue on the foliage, so I stopped doing it.

This is the second year I’ve had problems with this. I suspect they have overwintered on some indoor plants, as the initial chilies were infected before being moved outside. Next season I will ensure a complete plant free environment for some weeks before I sow my crops indoors from seed, and will also look at finally finding neem oil or predatory mites to keep these guys in check.

This year I’ve also for the first time had some issues with inchworms eating my plants. The worst seems to be behind me now, but there was a period of time where I would find and pick off several each evening that I somehow had missed the day before (fat buggers!).

My indoor plants are also suffering from fungus gnats. I’ve not done anything to combat them, and will need to look into nematodes or other helpers. I am not sure about the effect on my herbs, as they seem to be doing fine regardless.

It’s a learning experience, and steadily getting better at this for each season is nice - but I can’t help but long for a proper garden where I imagine keeping a more balanced ecosystem is easier (but at least I don’t have to deal with slugs on my balcony…). Maybe I am deluding myself.