insect damage on chard, tiny holes

I've about given up on swiss chard because something that I never see makes tiny holes all over the leaves. Anybody know what the culprit is ?

Flea beetles perhaps? Can you post a picture?
Sounds like the nutrient balance to the plant is out of whack.

Well, I never could find the bugguers, no matter when I looked, and don't have a pic of the leaves, but flea beetles did seem to fit. I don't fertilize much; you're saying that might help?

Even if you can't see the insect, it's helpful to post a picture of the damaged plant. Someone may recognise the type of damage.

Insects and disease are mother nature's cleanup crew. The bugs are attracted to plants that are unhealhty and have a nutrient deficiency and are unable to complete the protein synthesis needed. The insects are designed to eat this incomplete plant protein. I recently attended an agronomy seminar on biological farming. It was fascinating to see the photos of adjacent plants and/or fields, where one side was grown more conventionally, and the other grown with attention to soil biology and plant nutrition. Insects, fungal diseases and weeds plaqued one set of plants and totally ignored the other set, even if they were intertwined.

You may want to add a mycorrhizae innoculant, or a fertilizer than contains an innoculant and some calcium to your soil.

info on mycorrhizae here:
http://www.mycorrhiza.com/index.php?cid=2

If I were to find myself in a world without flea beetles and spider mites, I'd realize I'd died and gone to heaven.

Buckthorne, you may want to read this book and apply it to your garden:
The Anatomy of Life and Energy in Agriculture
http://tinyurl.com/2v9e6z

another interesting site:
http://www.highbrixgardens.com./index.html

There is a notion that the use of colloidal minerals helps along the lines of the highbrixgardens article you sent. I have begun to try it but am ambivalent about the results so far.

The biological activity in the soil is a key component. I understand that it can take 3-5 years to fully convert farmland that has been conventionally farmed. There are improvements in crop quality and water requirements each year, but it may take that 3-5 year conversion time to get things to the point that weeds, insects and disease do not bother your crop. We have very few insect issues in our garden bed now, even though the neighbor's bed is only a couple of feet away and plagued with them.

I plan to order some orange chard seed, so I'll give it my best in compost , eggshells, and fert.! Thanks so much forthe info, will check links.

My swiss chard did very well this year- I did give the area a good dose of compost and some fertilizer before planting. Thanks again.

Happy to hear the problem is solved! Nice looking chard. Looks delicious.