So.
We came home from Hawaii to a garden that, upon first sight, seemed lush, verdant, and… good enough to eat.
But things aren’t always as good as they appear. See what looks like pretty white flowers coming out of the top of this arugula? Yeah… well apparently that’s called “bolting.” It means we waited too long to harvest, and now are arugula is bitter. Trust me, I tried it.
And these giant cucumber leaves? Well that’s all fine and dandy, until they crush the red bell peppers and other plants nearby. (At least I thought that’s what was killing my red peppers, but now I have another, much more disgusting theory.)
When I went to transplant one of the pepper plants to see if it would grow better in another part of the garden (away from the giant, all-consuming cucumber), I was met with a very unpleasant surprise.
Termites. (At least I think they’re termites.) In my soil. Ick.
See, despite all of the exhaustive research I did on building raised garden beds, I never came across the issue of termites. Turns out they can be a HUGE problem here in the southeast, especially when you’re mixing moist soil with wood.
ARGGHHHHHH!
I can’t find much useful information as to whether these could potentially harm the rest of my plants. I thought termites only ate wood, but tell that to my red bell peppers.
Crap. Frickin’. Tastic.
Should I just give up now?
It’s hard to imagine losing all of this…
Grape Tomatoes
Iceberg Lettuce
Zinnia
Romaine Lettuce
Tomato
Dahlia
…to a crappy nest of termites.