🌱 March is when gardeners start dreaming again. Seed catalogs are open on the kitchen table, raised beds are prepped, and we’re mapping out what will grow where. But before you finalize your crop list, I encourage you to pause and think back to last season.
🐞 What bugs showed up?
Every garden tells a story year to year. For me, the past couple of seasons brought an unwelcome visitor: harlequin bugs. These striking black-and-orange pests absolutely love brassicas — broccoli, kale, cabbage, cauliflower. Sadly, they loved mine a little too much. After battling them by hand and watching the cycle repeat, I’ve decided to skip most brassicas again this year.
That might sound disappointing — and it is. But it’s also working with nature instead of fighting it.
I don’t use chemical pesticides in my garden. Spraying may seem like a quick fix, but it rarely solves the root issue. Chemicals can ripple through your garden’s delicate ecosystem, harming beneficial insects, soil life, pets, and even the people you’re feeding. A healthy garden is a balanced system, and when we disrupt that balance, the consequences often outlast the original pest problem.
🌿 Instead, I practice strategic crop rotation — and sometimes even crop resting. When a pest finds its favorite snack missing for a season or two, it often moves on. Resting those crops also interrupts life cycles and reduces pressure naturally.
The upside? It pushes you to try something new.
🌶️ This year, instead of loading my beds with broccoli and kale, I’m expanding my pepper varieties and building what I’m calling a true “salsa garden.” More sweet peppers, more heat levels, more experimentation. Gardening should feel creative, not reactive. Sometimes pests are just nudging us toward diversity.
📱It’s also important to remember that not all bugs are pests. In fact, most are beneficial — or at least neutral. Before grabbing an insect off your lettuce and squishing it, take a moment to identify it. I use a free app called PictureInsect to scan anything I don’t recognize. You’d be surprised how often the “scary” bug is actually a garden ally.
Soldier bugs, for example, are excellent predators. They feed on caterpillars, beetle larvae, and other soft-bodied insects that damage crops. Seeing them in your garden is usually a sign your ecosystem is functioning well. When we automatically eliminate every insect we see, we often remove the very helpers keeping pests in check.
March is a month for planning — but it’s also a month for reflection. Think about what thrived last year and what struggled. Consider which pests showed up and whether rotating or resting certain crops might serve you better than spraying.
Gardening is a conversation with nature. When we pay attention, adapt, and respect the balance, our gardens become healthier, more resilient, and more rewarding year after year.
And sometimes, they even lead us to better salsa.
