Have you ever fought a battle you never signed up for? If you're new to gardening and trying to do it without chemicals, you probably have. You've been in the trenches, defending your beautiful tomato plants from the relentless onslaught of pests. Your garden is a battlefield, and you, the commander in arms, are ready to protect your green kingdom using natural pest control methods (or maybe chemicals in a pinch—they can’t be that bad…?). In this blog post, we'll equip you with knowledge and strategies to win the war against pests with natural pest control methods, without compromising the health of yourself or your garden.
TL;DR
- Pests only go for unhealthy plants (sorry to break it to you).
- Refrain from using bug killing sprays and dusts (including natural ones).
- Plant aromatic herbs, flowers around your vegetables.
- Use regenerative gardening techniques, and you'll never be infested.
- Make your own remedies if you must use a spray.
- Water just enough.
- Be patient
The Secret Life of Pests: Know Your Enemy
What's the first rule of war? Know your enemy. Before you can defeat pests, you must understand what you are up against. Pests are attracted to plants that are weakened, like tomato diseases and struggling plants that can be common in some chemical-free gardens. A healthy plant will begin to make its own pesticides as soon as they sense nearby leaves being eaten. By understanding that you keep your plants healthy by keeping your soil healthy, you can nip the problem in the bud.
Practical Tip: Regularly inspect your plants for signs of disease or pest infestations. Early detection is key in controlling pest populations.
Build an Eco-Friendly Fortress: Beneficial Insects and Plants
Not all insects are enemies. Many are allies that can help you in your quest for an eco-friendly pest control system. Ladybugs, spiders, and praying mantises are nature's pest control agents. In addition to their pest-controller status, a surprising number of insects are helpful pollinators in the garden. Native bees, Wasps (including European wasps), Flies (including hoverflies), Moths, and even varieties of Mosquitoes all have many species that are pollinators. If you use sprays and insecticides in your garden, including natural ones (I’m looking at you; Neem oil, and you; Pyrethrum), you kill any insect that comes into contact with it. Also, bats, and little brown birds love eating insects, so if you are poisoning them, there’ll be less food for the animals in your garden as well as less beneficial insects.
Practical Tips: Plant a diverse garden with trees and shrubs to provide habitat for bats and birds. Plant flowers amongst your veggie plants to attract these beneficial insects and the animals that eat them to your garden. Also, since predator insects find their favourite crop by sight and smell, those sweet, sweet flowers will confuse them! Speaking of interplanting...
The Art of Decoy and Deterrent: Companion Planting and Trap Plants
In the game of natural pest control, sometimes offense is the best defense. Some plants have properties that pests find unattractive or harmful. Planting these alongside your crops can deter pests. Basil with tomatoes, for instance. Also, some plants are like a drug to certain insect pests. They will ignore their usual spot to lay eggs in favour of this trap plant—and you’ll not only get a heads-up that the pest is in your garden, but your beneficial insects will have a smorgasbord on the trap plant.
Practical Tip: Plant basil near your tomatoes. It is delicious to eat with tomato, and It's known to repel tomato hornworms. Plant cress near your brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, etc.), and the cabbage white butterfly will lay its eggs on the cress instead of your crop.
Regenerating the Planet: Regenerative Gardening
Regenerative gardening focuses on improving the soil's health, leading to stronger, healthier plants that are more resistant to pests and diseases, soil that acts as a sponge during rain events, and a thriving community of plants, animals and people. This approach is not just about natural pest control; it's about creating a healthier, more sustainable garden, storing carbon in the soil, and creating a healthier planet.
Practical Tip: Use methods like composting, ground-cover plants, deep mulching, under-mulch irrigation and crop rotation to improve your soil's health.
The Power of Homemade: DIY Remedies
You don't need to rely on harmful chemicals to keep pests at bay. There are many homemade remedies that can be effective in controlling pest populations. The best of these remedies don’t kill the organisms in your soil (pyrethrum, salt and vinegar may all be natural, but they also keep killing long after use), they work by encouraging pests to look elsewhere for an easy feed. These remedies are not only cost-effective but also eco-friendly, and might be useful at the
beginning of your journey, when your soil isn’t keeping your plants as healthy as they need to be.
Practical Tips: Try a simple homemade pesticide made from garlic and cayenne pepper in a spray bottle with a drop of detergent. Another version of this pesticide uses garlic and chillis boiled and strained into a spray bottle with a drop of detergent. These mixtures can deter a wide range of pests.
The Value of Water Management: Proper Irrigation Practices
Proper water management is crucial in maintaining the health of your organic garden. Overwatering your plants can make them more susceptible to pests and diseases, as can underwatering. The bacteria and fungi in your soil that are keeping your plants healthy need a moist, but not waterlogged, environment. When the soil dries out completely, they die or go into hibernation. Water your plants in the morning, after the sun has come up to allow any water to dry from the leaves before nightfall, as this encourages mould growth.
Practical Tip: Run soaker or weeping hoses under the mulch to deliver water to the root-zone, where it is needed for an inexpensive irrigation system. You can later upgrade with tap-timers, or smart controllers.
The Practice of Patience: Embrace the Process
Natural pest control methods may take more time to show results than chemical pesticides. However, they are more sustainable and beneficial for the long-term health of your garden. Embrace the process, and remember that gardening is a journey, not a destination.
Practical Tip: Stay patient and persistent. Don't expect immediate results, but trust in the process. Make a schedule and topdress your entire garden with organic matter every quarter (or at the change of seasons), replenishing the mulch as necessary.
In conclusion, the key to a bug-free paradise in your organic garden lies not in harmful chemicals but in natural, sustainable practices that happen to be cheaper and easier than solving every pest infestation or plant deficiency with a chemical. Whether you're attracting beneficial insects, diversifying your crops, or mulching, each step you take brings you closer to a healthy, thriving garden. Remember, every small victory you achieve in your garden contributes to a larger victory for our planet. Happy gardening!
Tell me in the comments about your favourite chemical-free bug-off recipe or companion-planting win. What do you think about natural pest control methods? I love to talk to keen gardeners!