Cabbage Heartbreak

Remember our beautiful cabbages and brussels sprouts?  We had gushed about how pretty they were,  tended them carefully, and were anticipating a good crop.  So when we spotted a handful of teeny holes on the leaves, we decided we needed to apply some kind of insecticide.

One of my gardening books, Trowel & Error by Sharon Lovejoy, recommended a hot pepper solution.  Ben carefully measured the suggested amounts of apple cider vinegar, Tabasco sauce, and liquid soap in a spray bottle--then sprayed both the tops and bottoms of the leaves.  We were feeling very good about using a natural solution rather than a chemical insecticide.

Here is the before:

And here is the sad "After":  (ARGH!!!!!!)

And this happened within hours.  Besides being disappointed and frustrated, we were puzzled.  What in the pepper solution could have caused that?!  Then we read the ingredients on the dish soap:

Water,Ammonium C12-15 Pareth Sulfate,Lauramidopropylomine Oxide, S-D Alcohol 3-A, Sodium Chloride, Poloxamer 124,Fragrance,Preservatives,Pentasodium Pentatate, Sodium Bisulfate, and Dyes.


Lesson learned!