a few questions (grow, grass, how to, leaves)

[howgreatthouart]

hey everyone,

i am fairly new to gardening, but i love it so much, i recently planted many plant with excitement to see them grow healthy and happy.. HOwever.. to my sad surprise many plants are being either eaten by animals or fugus are killing them slowly. if anyone can help me get my garden to look happy i will be soo greatful

these are my problems:

1) my basil plant seems to have a fungus of sum sort a lil black circle with white-ish lines .. does anyone know how to get rid of this without chemicals?

2) somthing keeps eating my lettuce and brocolii leaves.. and also there are some white squiggly lines on the brocolii leaves.?? help


thank u in advance
happy planting to all.

[paperhouse]

The squiggly lines are probably leaf miners. Just pick off and discard the affected leaves. It's the best you can hope for. I'd say slugs are eating the lettuce. Or rabbits. Get some Slug Bait, the organic kind. Home Depot and Lowe's should have a variety.

Are you watering during the day? If so, the basil could have burn marks. Water acts like a magnifying glass and scorches the leaves when the sun hits it. If it's not that, it could be a fungus. Not sure what kind though.

[howgreatthouart]

thanks paperhouse

[no kudzu]

regarding watering. remember never to let anything, including grass go to bed with wet foliage and not during the hot daytime for the magnifying effect. So that leaves early morning. Most new gardeners overwater instead of not enough water.

Your problems are why I gave up on veggie garding years ago. I bit into a slug in a very curly variety of lettuce which I had washed several times. From now on I buy my lettuce shrink wrapped from the grocery store or the farmers market.