We are officially in our normal summer fog pattern here at High Ground. Early mornings have been dark and drizzly with the fog typically burning off between 9 and 11 in the morning. Not that I’m complaining. As someone who makes their living working mainly outdoors, when I hear about the triple-digit temperatures being forecast for the inland valleys, I’m thankful to be living where I am. Even after the sun appears, due to the strong onshore flow off the nearby ocean, things stay nice and comfortable here.
Many of the crops that we grow stay nice and comfortable too. It is in this narrow, cool coastal band that most of the country’s lettuce, strawberry and brassica (broccoli family) crops are grown for the very reason that they can’t stand the higher temperatures in inland locations.
And while the comfortable temperatures are great for both people and crops, one truly unexpected benefit of farming in this fog belt is the presence of beauveria bassiana, a parasitic, fungal pathogen that exists here naturally and is our greatest ally in fighting insect pests—especially aphids.
For those who grow brassica crops around here, aphids are a constant problem. It truly isn’t a question of whether they will show up or not, but when and in what numbers. There are many organically approved materials that can be used on them, but most are limited in how effective they are. One of the main problems is that in order to work, these sprays have to make contact with the aphids, but they are often clustered on the underside of cup-shaped leaves and nearly impossible to reach. This is where the beauveria excels. When it sets in, it can wipe out whole populations of aphids across the entire farm in just a few days—regardless of how well hidden they are. And, although it is purely anecdotal, populations of cucumber beetles, another pest that we have been having major problems with, have fallen dramatically since the heavy fog cycle began as well.
Beauveria bassiana only thrives under the super humid, drizzly conditions here along the immediate coast—even inland ranches a few miles away here in our valley rarely see it. So, even though mornings may seem a little dreary and cheerless around here, I say—bring it on!
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