What is this and how did it get through the net?

[shirlthegirl43]

I know I have a lot of flea beetle in my garden, I think it is due to the ground not having been cultivated for many years? I have been using derris to prevent the decimation of my brocolli, but today I had to go into the cage to harvest some nice looking spears and was rather upset to find that a few plants had been seriously attacked. Looks like flea beetle damage (but as a real learner gardener I would love to know what it was). There are also some caterpillars in evidence - dunno how, whole bed is surrounded by very fine net and topped with pond netting with 1cm squares - no butterfly could get in - so I thought!

Also, there are lots of black speckles and some fuzzy stuff that looks like spider nests.

I have attached pics.

Questions are...

What caused the damage to the leaves?
What are the black speckles?
Can I compost the plants I have pulled up?
How do I stop this happening to the rest of the bed?

Cheers folks. I am on the verge of giving up trying to grow veggies now.

[shirlthegirl43]

Doh - forgot the pics!!

Sorry about the size of the first one but it needed to be big to show the problem

[Sue]

Shirley
I always feel fbs are the final straw, first the pigeons, then the slugs, net them off, then its butterflies and fbs.
The only way I've managed to keep attacks down is to invest in enviromesh, the occassional slug does get under but it does seem to keep off fbs and, of course, butterflies.
I tried ordinary netting last year and the butterflies just lowered their bums and laid eggs through the netting.
Having said all that I'm not much help in identifying if it is actually this from your pictures.
Enviromesh is very expensive so I put it on my Christmas list last year, looks like I need to do the same this year.
Don't despair, something must be growing - nothing can be worse than the state of my tomatoes, so many plants so lovingly grown - all blighted.
Have managed to pick 2lb so far, was hoping for more like 32lb.
Sue

[roitelet]

Hi Shirl,

Looks a bit like flea beetle damage to me and the black bits are poo.

A bit late now but you could have tried spraying with washing up liquid or something nastier. In any case I would spray the rest of the bed which should do for any 'little blighters' that are lurking.

DON'T GIVE UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Best of luck

[momol]

Hi Shirl,

Looks like you have got your answer, sorry for all the lost
Don't give up, you have come so far, it is part of learning I suppose, you will do better after all the bad experience you have learn.
Keep going girl, you can do it...

All the best,
Momol

[moggssue]

Shirl - just wanted to add my twopenn'orth and say dont give up - it can only get better next year. We are all learning from what happens to us and to others, and armed with more knowledge and experience next year WILL be better, so please keep going!!

[shirlthegirl43]

Haven't quite given up. Went out and bought bug spray - will take the net down later today if it stays dry and spray the heck out of everything. I thought I had them beaten by netting it all but I realise now some plants were touching the netting on the sides of the bed so they flutterbys must have done the deed that way! - note to self - don't plant close to the bed edges next time!

Thanks for the support everyone

[Vegmonkey]

Try spraying with ECOVER - it's a plant based washing up liquid that is organic, but killed off the blackfly we had on our beans well, so don't see why it shouldn't work.