Pests are a common problem in many gardens. They can destroy your plants and make it difficult for you to safely enjoy fresh produce from your garden. Pesticides prevent pests, but can be harmful to the health of you and your plants.
Luckily, there are several natural methods to prevent pests in your garden. Looking for natural ways to prevent garden pests? Read our tips below.
Companion Planting
Companion planting is a method of growing plants together to achieve certain benefits. Sometimes these relationships are mutually beneficial, and sometimes they’re not—but it’s always worth knowing which plants are good companions for each other, in case you’d like to use them in your garden.
For example, many people plant marigolds among their vegetables because their strong odor can repel pests like cucumber beetles, tomato hornworms, and aphids.
Having basil near tomatoes will help deter certain pests, while planting garlic near cabbage attracts beneficial insects that eat harmful ones.
Other companion pairs work well together because they grow at different heights or require different amounts of sunlight or water. A few more examples include:
- Beans with tomatoes or onions (the beans add nitrogen into the soil)
- Marigolds with cabbage family plants (the marigolds repel cabbage moths)
Use Insecticidal Soaps
Insecticidal soap is an environmentally friendly way to get rid of aphids and other soft-bodied bugs without resorting to harsher chemicals or pesticides. It works by breaking down the protective outer layer on the insect’s exoskeleton, causing dehydration and death within 24 hours—no larvae or eggs left behind!
As a general rule, you shouldn’t use insecticidal soaps unless you want to kill only soft-bodied insects. Insecticidal soaps are made from soap and water. Soaps are not as effective at killing pests (such as aphids, whiteflies, spider mites and other soft-bodied insects) as pesticides but they’re safe for humans and animals when used properly.
The best way to use them is by spraying them directly on your plants’ leaves for about two weeks in a row until all of the pests are gone or have been significantly reduced in number.
Make Insect Traps
Insect traps can be made from recycled materials as a natural and eco-friendly way to prevent garden pests. If you want to go all natural, try making an insect trap with wood, metal, or plastic that you have in your recycle bin.
If you want to enhance the effectiveness of an insect trap, use food as bait for the insects. Make a trap out of a fruit such as bananas that already attracts flies or mosquitoes when they ripen and fall off trees. The fruit can draw bugs into the trap and away from your garden.
You could also make traps effective by placing them in areas where you think pests might be lurking, such as along fences or near doors/windows so that they have no choice but walk through it while entering their territory.
A trap can also be buried under the surface of the soil if you’re dealing with pests that attack primarily the base of your plants. No matter where you place the trap, your goal will be to attract pests away from the plants and into the trap.
The trap should be made to have a sticky lining (eg. tape) so that pests cannot crawl back out, or a substance that will kill bugs (eg. dishwashing soap).
If you have an issue with slugs in your garden, try making a simple homemade slug trap out of a bucket filled with beer mixed with dish soap. Slugs are drawn into it by the smell of yeast from the beer, then drown because they can’t climb out again.
Be sure not to use any beer made from barley since it contains gluten, which could kill off bees if used incorrectly. Instead, opt for organic rice brews which are naturally safe for all pollinators.
Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous earth is a product made from crushed fossils of algae, or diatoms, that are dried and ground into a fine powder. It’s been used for thousands of years as a natural insecticide and can be used in the garden to prevent pests such as ants and fleas.
The benefits of using diatomaceous earth include:
- It’s organic — no chemical pesticides!
- It’s safe for humans and other animals — this means you can use it in your vegetable garden without worrying about accidentally poisoning yourself or your pets with chemicals.
- It’s easy to apply — just sprinkle it where you want it and walk away!
Attract Beneficial Insects
Beneficial insects, also called predator insects or natural enemies, are a crucial component of any balanced garden. They eat pests and help keep them from becoming overpopulated so your plants don’t suffer from significant damage from pests.
Beneficial insects can be attracted by adding plants to your garden that the insects enjoy. Flowering plants such as cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus) and marigolds (Tagetes spp.) are some of the most popular flowers for attracting beneficial bugs.
But there are many other choices that will help increase the population of these good bugs in your garden or backyard area. Some examples include:
- Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
- Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
- Dillweed (Anethum graveolens)
- Goldenrod (Solidago altissima)
Rotate Crops
Rotating your crops can help prevent pests and disease, but it also has the added benefit of preventing soil erosion. If you have a small garden or only grow one or two types of plants, rotating may not be necessary.
However, if you have larger areas that you plant in every year (or if there are other people who share the garden space with you), then it’s important to rotate crops so they aren’t planted in the same spot each year.
This helps prevent pests from building up populations in any one area and keeps diseases from spreading quickly through large plots of land.
Use Row Covers
Row covers are used to protect plants from pests. They can be made of different materials, such as plastic or fabric. Row covers should be removed at night and during hot days.
Row covers are also good for protecting young plants from frost and cold weather.
Neem Oil
Neem oil is a natural pesticide that comes from neem trees. It can be used to keep pests away from plants and gardens, and it’s safe for humans and pets as long as you follow the instructions on the label carefully.
Neem oil works by disrupting the nervous system of insects, causing them to become confused and immobile before they die. Neem oil doesn’t kill insects by contact or ingestion—it only affects those that come into direct contact with it.
The effectiveness of neem oil depends on how much you apply. The more you use, the better your results will be! It’s best not to apply too much at once because this could harm your plants as well as any beneficial insects in your garden (such as ladybugs).
How to Prevent Garden Pests Naturally: Final Thoughts
Pests are a common occurrence in gardens, but fortunately, there are many solutions that will protect your garden without requiring the inference of harmful pesticides. Try the methods listed above in order to save your garden in a way that is safe for you, your pets, and the environment.
As you harvest fresh produce from your garden, use the Lil’ Broc app in order to track and monitor the shelf life of your produce and ensure that it is all eaten while fresh.