Tatsoi Bolts, Cabbageworms Move In

One of the joys of the winter / spring garden is the lack of pests. This year's long, cool spring provided us with an extended season of greens ... as beautiful as they were delicious. Warm weather has moved in, though, and the cabbage worms have emerged from their eggs, ready to munch their way through the brassica crops.

We have a few vulnerable crops planted this spring: toscano kale, bok choi, and tatsoi. With the recent hot weather, these plants have been threatening to bolt. The first to go was the tatsoi. It's been wet the last couple of days (1 inch of rain today), but I finally got out to the garden this afternoon to harvest what I could. I noticed that many of the formerly intact tatsoi leaves were now as holey as Swiss cheese! I cut the entire patch, then took it to the kitchen to clean and process. That's when I discovered the hole makers ...

Cross Striped Cabbageworms on Tatsoi

There were only a few worms, but it doesn't take many to wreak havoc! I will certainly be checking the kale and the bok choi tomorrow in an effort to fend off additional damage.

By the way, the tatsoi was still very tasty in the navy bean soup I prepared for supper! And there's plenty more for a savory stir-fry.