Alas, the battle goes against me. I have just returned from the front and have dire news to report. It appears that we will almost definitely lose one basil plant and another may not last through the morning. I shook the poor seedling to scatter the blanket of earwigs that were covering it, then crushed as many as I could while they scurried for shelter. My weapon you ask? At first a rock and I crushed them against the soil. However, this packs the soil and I worry about disrupting the structure and making it even more difficult for the plants to grow, so I took a cue from a Shaftoe and “show[ed] some adaptability”. Did you know that earwigs are really pretty fragile? You can simply flick them and the force of your nail pushing them into the ground is enough to crush them. Oh, and their guts are green by flashlight.
The slug population is greatly diminished and I don’t think that they’re a problem anymore. Neither sowbugs nor pillbugs seem to be bothering the vegetables. No, it seems that the last enemy I must overcome are the earwigs. And, it’s essential that I do so before the marigolds and parsley (round two) begin to emerge.
Since my own weighty tomes haven’t offered up a satisfactory solution, it’s time to consult my advisor. The Magician Go Ogle. He has a great deal of knowledge and almost all of it is easily available. You just have to know how to ask and be able to sift the useful bits from the drivel.
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