Yesterday the grasshoppers asked for a side of marinara sauce and a glass of merlot.

As we discussed last week in my first “Restoring our Land” series, we are having a massive grasshopper issue. Two years ago, we kept it in check with ducks and turkeys and chickens. And a little bit of cussing. (Not sure if that actually helped.) This is our first year on this property, a quaint 1/16th of an acre that we are determined to restore to a bit of Eden, well knowing that we do live in the high desert. The grasshoppers over the last three years have been of biblical proportions and I half expect a genuine Dust bowl circa 1930’s style. Allow me to tell you why, and what we are doing (and what you can do) to heal our little part of the earth. One can actually change an entire ecosystem and weather patterns by creating a restored piece of land.

Lot of folks asking for good pest control companies. Lots of chemicals flying off the shelves at Walmart. We can expect that next year the grasshoppers will be resistant to them. Chemicals (even “organic”) only make things worse. They are only a quick fix with detrimental environmental and health issues, not to mention insecticide resistant grasshoppers and a whole lot of dead beneficial insects! As I mentioned in my book Whiskey and Hoes, a pesticide does not differentiate between insects. If it kills “bad” ones, it sure as heck kills good ones too, leaving an extremely imbalanced and damaged ecosystem. So what do we do? We don’t garden for this year, we garden for next year. Build the soil. If the soil is healthy, then the plants are healthy. If the ecosystem is diverse, the biodiversity creates pest control all on its own.

Here are a few things I have done to contribute to our land this week. I tried garlic spray. Here’s how to make it:

• In a blender add 4-5 cloves of garlic and 1 cup of water. Blend well, sit over night.
• In a spray bottle, add 1/4 of strained garlic water, 1 ts of dish soap, and 1 ts of olive oil with 2 1/2 cups of filtered water.
• Spray on plants.

It worked pretty good. Every time you water, however, you have to reapply. I like the garlic because it doesn’t kill anyone, it just repels. I do not want to harm the spiders and lizards that are helping me in the garden! Try it, I think it was very effective.

Until yesterday. Half my garlic is gone. Italian grasshoppers?

Next thing I have done is WATER! I am usually a water saver. Turn off the water, don’t let the water run. However, we are in the desert. Water brings in birds, lizards, wasps (beneficial), deer (adorable and leaves good poo for the compost) and more diversity. I water different sections every day. Keep a bird bath filled. If the grasshoppers demolished a plant, still water it because the roots may still be strong. Water is life.

What I have noticed: Some of the plants have continued to grow and even become prolific. They also taste very bitter. The horseradish, catnip, toothache plant, and even some of the tomatoes are doing very well. If I get anything, I will feel lucky. We had birds in the garden this morning. I have been using worm castings and coffee grounds to add to the soil. I will add crushed egg shells this week. I made seaweed tea and added that to plants.

We are not going for the quick fix. Luckily we can go to the grocery store! But every year we will closer to creating a sustainable garden that can fix its own imbalances. Keep your head up Colorado gardeners!