I was reading an Op-ed piece in the New York Times this morning,You Say Tomato, I Say Agricultural Disaster,(click on article for the link) which made me realize that as Master Gardeners we are in the front lines of the war on such catastrophes. This article was talking about the devastation being caused by the late tomato blight in the Northeast. But, it pointed out that there are pathways to educating the home gardener, who is part of a larger farming system, that could help stem the spread of diseases such as this.
The article is worth reading and thinking about, as you wonder what your role might be in prevention. We are a part of the Smith-Lever Act that created the cooperative extensions. As a land-grant university the University of Maryland is an active participant. I guess it did bring a certain gravitas to my role in the community.
It brought to mind a very neglected portion of my garden and my own inaction. Maybe not as devastating as the blight, but an unchecked plant problem that I let fester in my vegetable garden. It was an infestation of Harlequin Bugs, Murgantia histrionica. I knew that the Brussels Sprouts were doomed, but I just thought I would get to it later. Meanwhile, the bugs were making haste in copulating on this unfettered piece of real estate, laying eggs and reproducing like mad men.
I am happy to report that I have belatedly solved the problem, and have even begun to reconstruct a scenario that I saved the rest of my garden by creating a trap crop, because I planted my brussel sprouts way to early and therefore created an attractant for the little rascals. I just can not quite reconcile the part where I failed to destroy the plants and the invaders before the rampant procreation, I'm working on that part of the story. So, now the plants and the offending bug, nymphs and eggs have been removed and destroyed, I hope the memory of my need for intervention early in my own garden will not similarly be removed and destroyed.
