How to Protect Your Cucumbers from Beetles

Hi, I’m Dave Epstein. This of course is Growing Wisdom, and today I want to talk to you about growing cucumbers under raw cover. Now, what would you want to put cucumbers under something? The reason is that nasty cucumber beetle. That beetle will really shred your leaves and as you can see from these plants here, the beetle has already started to eat. And the problem is the beetle can spread disease, and then the cucumbers get the disease. And then you’re having a cucumber plants.

So we’re growing cucumbers which are in the container underneath the row cover. This helps to protect them from the beetle. If you don’t want to go row cover you can use things like Neem oil, diatomaceous earth. You can also use Rotenone which is not organic but you can use that and that will also helps stop the cucumber beetle.

Cucumbers are susceptible to the beetle in many areas of the country. A couple of choices again, you can go synthetic rope to stop it or you can try growing it underneath the row cover. Get a thin row cover. Row covers have different grids to them. You want the grid that lets the most of the light in because we’re only trying to stop insects. We’re not trying to protect it from frost that’s too warm this time of the year.

So row covers, containers and cucumbers are great way to get cucumbers, and stop that nasty beetle. Come back every week for all of our tips, hints and help at Growing Wisdom.