It’s awesome to have a nice garden, isn’t it? What’s not so nice though, are garden pests. Seeing those creepy-crawly pests invade your beautiful garden is like something out of a nightmare. While going with chemicals to get rid off the nuisance is the most common route to deal with pests, a lot of gardeners are opting for more natural control methods. Try these effective ways to keep pests away from your garden without dangerous chemicals.
Predatory Insects
Introducing predatory insects into your garden is one of the safest and most effective ways of eliminating pests. These types of insects include parasitic wasps, ladybugs, damsel bugs, lacewings, and minute pirate bugs. The garden pests are their source of food, which keeps the number of plant-destroying insects at bay. The predators can eliminate them before they even have a chance to eat your plants.
Inter-cropping
Inter-cropping is a strategic pest control method that has been used successfully for centuries. Instead of planting similar plants in a single row, you mix them up. For example, vegetables with flowers, or fruits with herbs. Because most pests prefer a specific type of plant, this prevents them from finding and eating your whole crop. Also, the reproduction rate of the pests is lowered, since they don’t have easy access to a large crop of their favorite food.
Choosing Plants Carefully
Studies have shown that some crops are more susceptible to pest attacks than others. By choosing types of plants that aren’t targeted by local pests, you can make your garden less inviting. For instance, the King Harry variety of potatoes are resistant to beetles because of their spiky leaves, and cabbage butterflies don’t like to lay their eggs on most types of red cabbage.
Organic Pesticides
Unlike inorganic pesticides that have been linked to all kinds of illnesses, organic versions are generally safe for both humans and pets, having little or no side effects. Examples of safe, organic pesticides are neem oil, diatomaceous earth, chili pepper spray, and garlic spray. Do a little research before you choose which one to use, as the type used depends on the kind of pest you’re dealing with.
Herbs and Flowers
Some herbs and flowers act as insect repellents. Getting rid of those nuisance pests can be as simple as planting certain types of repellents alongside your crops. Chives, dill, fennel, oregano, and parsley are good insect repellent herbs. If you prefer flowers, try alliums, marigolds, or petunias. Like organic pesticides, each plant repels specific types of insects, so do a little research before you decide.
Netting Covers
Covering your crops with nets is a good pest control mechanism. Since the attackers can’t penetrate the net, they won’t get at your precious plants. You can either cover a single crop with a small net if you’re dealing with only one type of pest or cover your whole garden with netting to keep general pests away.
Keeping pests away doesn’t have to involve dousing your crops in a chemical bath. Try the methods above to effectively keep pests away from your garden, without endangering your health from dangerous chemicals.
Want to learn more about repelling the all too common stink bug from your home and garden? Read up on our five tips!
