We transplanted 20 Rainbow Chard plants in our new tall raised beds filled with well cured compost. Shannon started them from seed indoors so they got a head start. The leaves are probably the biggest we have seen in our garden, but this year they were plagued with leaf miners. Looking them up online I learned that they can be larvae from a fly, moth, or beetle! Here is a Wikipedia link for more info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaf_miner
The eggs I found were white and tiny, very easy to miss. For what it's worth here is a picture of the eggs. They are laid in small clusters, spread in multiple spots on the leaf. You can scratch the eggs off with your nail if you can find them. I found most on the underside, but some were on the top.
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| Leaf Miner Eggs on Chard |
This shows some of the leaf miner damage. The larvae / worm eats out the middle of the leaf and it protected by a thin layer of leaf "skin" on the top and bottom. You can squish the worms or rip out the affected spots.
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| Leaf Miner Damage on Chard |
Here are some pictures of our bountiful harvest.
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| Shannon with Chard Harvest from new beds |
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| Rainbow Chard |
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