So a weird thing happened as I was harvesting my Brussel sprouts this spring. Pulling the stalk from the soil, I noticed a wasp flying around me. I jumped, startled but alert. Wasps can be beneficial in the home garden as they are predatory in nature and prey on some bad bugs that attack our plants. So far, so good. I’ve seen them before and thought, no big deal. I continued with my harvest.
What I didn’t expect to find was a wasp nest secured to the underside of my Brussel sprout leaf! Yikes! Taken aback by the discovery, I gently placed the stalk back on the bed of soil. Now what? Should I destroy the wasp’s home for my meal plan?
I found myself conflicted. While I prefer to prevent issues with pests in my garden, I’m certainly not above natural pesticides to kill the unwanted beasts. However, I didn’t want to be stung, either. Dilemmas!
As a gardener, the decision slowly became clear. Harvest the other stalks and come back for this one. Hopefully, the flying fellow would move on once his home began to wilt and die. I mean, I garden to eat! And I have a delicious Brussels sprouts recipe for these little beauties.
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