More and more people are choosing to eat organic foods. You can save a heap of money, keep in shape, and get the satisfaction of watching your garden grow and flourish by planting your very own garden. To care for it naturally and in a non toxic manner, there are plenty of things you can use. You can make a harmless homemade bug spray and use a natural dusting method. You can utilize the method of companion planting- a method of pest control in which planting certain types of plants near one another naturally repel insects. You can also make sure your garden is full of beneficial insects that hunt and repel the pesky ones that try to eat your produce.
Homemade Bug Spray and Dusting
A general spray for controlling bugs in your garden is very easy to make. This spray is especially good for controlling spider mites, mealy bugs, aphids, cinch bugs, and whiteflies. To make you will need:
- half a gallon of water
- a teaspoon of natural dish washing liquid
- a teaspoon of vegetable oil
Put all of the above ingredients in a bottle. Shake well and spray plants. If any of your plants show sensitivity to the above mixture, you can water your plants shortly after spraying them to prevent any burns. Or, you can reduce the amount of soap and oil in the mixture.
To extend the action of the bug spray to work against cabbage loopers, earwigs, June bugs, leafhoppers, and squash bugs add to the above recipe 1 tablespoon of oil that has been soaked in fresh crushed garlic for 24 hours. Adding the garlic will also turn the mixture into a fungicide.
Hot dusting is another insect controlling method you can use for your garden. Doing so will repel maggots, ants, and aphids. You can use several different herbs for dusting- red pepper, ginger, dill, black pepper, chili pepper, and paprika. These herbs contain a substance called capsaicin, which acts as a repellent. To utilize this method, lightly dust around the base of your garden plants. Redust after you water your garden and after it rains.
Companion Planting for Pest Control
Many plants are beneficial when planted near one another. This is known as companion planting. The plants help one another with pest control, and may cause one another to have a more abundant harvest. Companion planting is an old practice. Here is a list of plants and suggested companion plants:
- Tomatoes = onions, marigolds, carrots, parsley, and cucumber
- Spinach = strawberries and fava beans
- Pumpkins = corn and marigolds
- Potatoes = corn, marigolds, beans, and corn
- Onions = carrots, lettuce, beets, and cabbage
- Lettuce = carrots, radish, strawberries, and cucumbers
- Cucumber = beans, corn, sunflowers, peas, and radishes
- Carrots =rosemary, sage, tomato, and onions
- Corn = potatoes, beans, peas, pumpkins, and cucumbers
- Cabbage = aromatic herbs, onions, spinach, and chard
- Beans = vegetables and herbs
Beneficial Insects
There are many types insects that are beneficial to your vegetable garden. These particular insects will repel and hunt the insects that typically destroy your garden plants. Some beneficial insects include ground beetles, hoverflies, lacewings, praying mantises, spiders, wasps, ladybugs which hunt aphids, and damsel bugs which eat insect eggs. Toads, frogs, and certain insect eating snakes are also beneficial to your garden.
Some common plants that will attract some of these beneficial insects to your garden include peonies, dill, angelica, queen anne's lace, fennel, lemon balm, parsley, shasta daisy, sunflowers, and tansy.
So, go ahead and put all of these tools for organic gardening to use for you this year- natural bug repellent, companion planting, and attracting beneficial insects. Enjoy an abundant harvest!
Sources
CanadianCountryWoman, “Natural Bug Sprays”, 10-25-10
GoPetsAmerican, “Homemade Garden Sprays”, 10-25-10
Attra.Ncat.org,, “Traditional Companion Planting”, 10-25-10
GrinningPlanet.com, “Natural Pest Control”, 10-25-10
Angel Chavis - Angel Chavis lives in NC with her husband, daughter, and various pets. She is a Christian, wife, homeschool mom, writer, student, and ...
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