Managing Garden Pests (+ A Spooky Surprise!)

 I have found a lot of insects around my larger planters over the past few weeks. I discovered them initially when I had to briefly bring my planters inside. It was then when I realized how many bugs were swarming the area and I got alarmed. To my relief, the pests have not been largely invasive but are tiny ants. I used the pesticide soap on them and it helped the situation, but I did not know I had to dilute the soap so I just used it without water in it. I feel bad but now I know for next time! I also noticed a ladybug on my pole beans plant, which is a good thing rather than a bad one! I didn't have to remove any eggs with my hands which I'm relieved about. My biggest issue has been a chewing pest...my dog! She was fine the entire gardening process until last week where I noticed that large chunks of my pole bean leaves were completely gone and they had been doing so well just that morning. I didn't see my dog eat the leaves but I can only assume it was her as the bites were so large and the planters are in an enclosed space that she would only have access to. 

For Halloween, I took a silly googly-eyed picture of my bean sprouts so you can see how they're growing (look closely and you'll see it)! They are tall and healthy - I should be ready to harvest them in a few days or so!