Leaf Damage

You have damage that appears to be from beetles. The picture isn’t from either a zinnia or a kale, however, so we’re assuming that what you’re seeing on those is similar? Neem doesn’t work that well for many insects. Try dusting with diatomaceous earth, reapplying after a rain. Also go out at night and see if you see earwigs, brown beetles or shiny black Japanese beetles. Those are active in Northeast gardens right now. Also, the damage you see on Kale might be from the cabbage loper larvae – tiny green worms. Spray either with Bt or a product containing Spinosad. Our best guess is that this is what’s doing damage on your kale at this time of year so treat it differently than the zinnias. Earwigs (brown, pinchers on their hind ends) love zinnia foliage so that might be the problem there. Diatomaceous earth is quite effective for earwigs – dust the plants and the ground around them. All of the above are organic controls.