should I abondon my new garden plot?

I have been gardening at my "new" 200 year old house for the last 3 summers. My first garden there was on the site of an exising garden spot, but last year, I outgrew it. I started a new garden plot this year. In the spring, we tilled up a spot in the old orchard that gets full sun all day long. As far as I can tell, it was always just orchard and hay fields. The soil is very lumpy clay, but is well drained. We ammended with very well rotted horse manure, compost, and peat. We mulched with straw. I didn't do a soil test because I just assumed it would be like all the other gardening space I use.

I have been accosted by every bug known to gardeners. My chard and beets are being eaten by some invisible bug that attacks only the leaves. I've had squash beetles and cabbage beetles this year. I've never had any bug problems before at the old garden, which is still doing great. Radishes seem to burn as soon as they sprout, even parsley isn't doing well. Tomatoes and beans are fine, and actually looking great, and carrots look really healthy.

My question is this: Do you think I've just got tons of bugs because it's a new site that hasn't been gardened before? I'm wondering if these guys were just lurking underground waiting to be brought to life. It's a great site but I don't have the time to deal with an ongoing problem for little to no results. Should I just abandon it and stick to the existing site?

I think there is hope, hang on, help is on the way. There are lots of remedies for bugs.

I think also that since it is a new site, the killer bugs haven't yet found their new food source. If you can stand to handle them, gather up all the mantids, lacewings, syrippud fly (sp) that you can, and take them to their new feast. If not, try vaccuuming a few up, then reverse it into the plot. Can you get a few songbirds to come for the feast too? They do a lot to help keep my problem bugs in check.

Radishes probably are burning because the manure is still fresh?

Hang in there... new sites usually take a year or two to settle down. Keep up hope!

I'd give it a couple of seasons too. Sounds like too much manure and too few predators also.

This fall,try burning your garden off when everything is dead and dry.This should kill overwintering pests,larvae and eggs that aren't burrowed under the soil.It should help some.Do it again next year too.

Wouldn't that also kill off any beneficial insects that have moved in? It sounds like something that would have to be done every year.

suggest three inch appplication or fresh green grass clippings cover with black plastic bugs die weed seed is killed and you can work the soil earlier in the spring. good bugs can be replaced to some degree but if you kill the bad bugs you don't need good bugs that much

This message was edited Sunday, Sep 7th 3:30 PM

Thanks you all. This was the most disappointing garden I've ever had. Also the first one started from scratch. Everything is so yellow and bug eaten and spare that I hate to even go out there.

I will try burning it next year. I've been composting like mad all summer and will spread compost and clippings this fall. Now that I have Lupinelover's great garlic juice bug spray, I've decided not to give up entirely. I'll try again next year.