Flea beetle on aubergines ?!? - and now on my spuds!!!!!

[Millymollymandy]

The leaves of my aubergines are full of little holes yet they are planted in pots on my terrace so away from the veg patch. They aren't to my knowledge brassicas but a part of the solanum family.

So why are flea beetles attacking them??? I saw the little blighters! They were bought along with peppers and tomatoes from a garden centre, and compared to the others they've hardly grown much at all.

Edited post to add that I wondered why one of my spud varieties had holes in all the leaves then spotted the blooming flea beetle on the spud leaves! The other variety is OK with no holes. The aubergines are a gonna by the looks of things. At this rate I won't be able to grow anything until August!

[Odsox]

You probably already know this but the classic way to catch flea beetles is with a piece of greasy cardboard.
Smear a coat of thick grease on one side of a square of cardboard and then go over your plants and soil with the cardboard greasy side down, like a metal detector.
The flea beetles jump vertically when you approach and stick to the grease.
Then you can tell them how naughty they are

[Millymollymandy]

I've heard of using sticky fly paper but my usual method is not to grow any brassicas in the veg patch until August when the beetles are starting to disappear. I have no probs after that and that's around the time I plant out my kale and PSB (must remember to start sowing them!) and grow rocket and radishes.

I just didn't expect them on anything other than brassicas - and certainly not in pots on the terrace where I grow a few radishes in tubs earlier in the year, with no problems. Though in my googling of broad beans I did read that they can attack beans too.

*brain whirring* They must have come from the soil as my aubergines are planted in a mix of molehill soil, home made compost, leaf mould and bought potting compost, whereas the radishes in a tub are in pure bought potting compost. Hmmm now wondering whether it would be worth bothering again just using bought potting compost. Oh this gardening lark is such a strain on the poor old brain cells!