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The couple behind the channel traded urban life for the countryside and cultivates a pesticide-free garden with kale, cabbages, and broccoli. When the leaves appeared destroyed by caterpillars, the duo decided not to give up: they pulled out the attacked plants, replanted new seedlings, and relied on the rain to start over.
The routine of those who leave the city to live in the countryside is made of small victories and constant challenges, and the couple behind the channel showed exactly that when faced with the partially destroyed pesticide-free garden. Kale, cabbages, and broccoli appeared with completely perforated leaves, in a scenario first attributed to birds, but after careful investigation, revealed the true culprit: hidden caterpillars eating the plants and hiding in cocoons during the day.
Instead of getting discouraged, the couple Josicley and Adriana faced the problem with the serenity of those who understand that cultivating without poison is part of the rural life package. The decision was practical: remove the most compromised plants, use the attacked leaves to feed the chickens, and replant new seedlings, taking advantage of the soil softened by the recent rains. It’s the philosophy of starting over that defines the daily life of those who chose to trade asphalt for soil.
The discovery of the attack on the garden
It all started with a worrying realization: practically no leaf in the garden was intact. Kale, cabbages, and broccoli showed holes everywhere, and even the seedlings inside the greenhouse had the same problem. The couple’s first hypothesis was that birds were pecking the plants, especially since they had already noticed parakeets and parrots opening fruits on the land.
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The bird theory, however, did not hold up against the evidence. As the couple themselves observed, birds cannot eat leaves in the middle of the plant without a place to perch, and the pattern of the holes did not match pecking. Upon closer examination, it became clear that it was caterpillars, common pests in organic gardens that feed at night and hide in cocoons or in the soil during the day, making them difficult to locate. The revealing detail was that only leafy greens from the cabbage family were attacked, while lettuces and other plants remained untouched.
Why growing without pesticides changes everything
The choice of the couple Josicley and Adriana for a pesticide-free garden is what makes the challenge of caterpillars more complex, and also more significant. Growing without poison means giving up quick chemical solutions that would eliminate pests at once, but would also contaminate the food and soil. It’s a principled decision that has a practical cost.
Those who grow without pesticides learn to live with pests instead of simply eliminating them. As the couple recognized, the little pests are part of the garden’s nature, and there is no easy way to combat them without resorting to products they do not want to use. The alternative is patient management: monitoring the plants, observing at night with a flashlight to catch the caterpillars, using homemade solutions like a mixture of milk and vinegar, which the couple had already successfully tested against aphids on fruit trees, and relying on natural allies, such as their own chickens, which eagerly devour the caterpillars.
The decision to uproot everything and replant
Faced with the damage, the couple made a decision that may seem drastic, but makes sense to those who understand gardening: uproot the most attacked plants and replant new seedlings. The logic is simple, if the caterpillars are hidden inside the leaves and compromised plants, removing them and throwing them to the chickens eliminates a good part of the problem at once.
The moment was also favorable for replanting. The rain from the past few days had left the soil soft and easy to work with, an ideal condition to accommodate the new seedlings the couple had available, some large and beautiful, ready for transplanting. With the help of their young daughter, who participated in each step by holding the seedlings and covering the roots with soil, the couple redid the beds, planted kale and other leafy greens, and established a nighttime monitoring plan to check if the caterpillars would reappear.
The Shared Routine of Farm Life
More than a story about pests and planting, the episode reveals the rhythm of life the couple chose. The morning starts with feeding the chickens, ducks, and other animals, moves on to harvesting acerolas directly from the tree, contested by the parakeets, and continues with garden tasks, all closely followed by their young daughter, who learns by planting, watering, and participating in each decision of the day.
It is a routine where each family member has their role, including caring for the animals. On the same day, the couple had to apply an injectable antibiotic dose to their dog Boris, who was treating an ear infection, a task the owner confessed to doing with apprehension, feeling sorry for the animals, but took on as a responsibility of a caretaker. These small episodes, combined, compose the honest portrait of those who traded the city for the land and face each challenge without shortcuts.
Starting Over as Part of the Process
For the couple Josicley and Adriana, tearing out an entire garden and replanting is not a failure, it’s a natural part of the cycle for those who live off the land. The experience taught an important lesson: leaving the problem unchecked for too long, assuming it was just birds, allowed the caterpillars to multiply. Identifying the pest early and acting quickly is what makes a difference in managing an organic garden.
The focus now is on observation and patience. The couple plans to closely monitor the replanted seedlings, watch at night for caterpillars, and adjust the management as the garden responds. It’s a new beginning that relies on the generosity of the unseasonal rain, which has fallen more than expected during the seasonal transition, and on the determination of those who understand that nature has its own time and rules. In the end, it is this continuous learning that defines the rural dream the family has built.
And you, have you ever had a garden attacked by caterpillars or other pests? What homemade and pesticide-free solution worked for you? If you know about the subject, leave your tip in the comments to help the couple and others who dream of living in the countryside and tag that friend who also wants to leave the city and grow their own food.
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