How To Rid Your Garden Of Pesky Insects And Pests The Natural Way

Congratulations! You finally got that vegetable garden planted, and you cannot wait to harvest the first of the bounty for your delicious recipes. And then it dawns on you that there are nature’s little critters and pests also lying in wait to eat away all your hard work long before you are able to get it on your table.

I was talking with a couple of women recently about the benefits of growing their own food, and in each instance the question arose of what to do about pests and insects. More pointedly, they wanted to know what sprays did I use to control or rid my garden of pests.

Did you know that you don’t have to blanket your garden with harmful chemicals in order to protect it from pesky pests? As simple and unlikely as it might seem, the best and most effective way I have found to control pests and animals is by working with the natural elements and allowing them to do what they do so well. As with anything, nothing is 100 percent effective, but the following are methods I have used with a fair amount of success year after year.

For controlling gardens pests, these are some of my favorites:

Peppermint

Peppermint is excellent for controlling aphids, cabbage looper and flea beetles. In addition to planting peppermint, there is a wonderful new product on the market, called Rodent Sheriff, which is basically concentrated peppermint that is used as a spray. It also suggests that it will control other pests like mice, squirrels and other animals that are equally ravaging to vegetable and flower gardens. This is my first year testing it, but because I have used peppermint in the past, I have a certain level of confidence that it might work.

Parsley

This is a great herb to use not only for your kitchen, but it is also very effective in helping to control asparagus beetles. Plant it in the ground, or you can also plant it in pots and move it to areas that work well for your garden.

Marigolds

Of all the companion plants that there are, this one by far is perhaps the most effective at controlling insects. The very pungent aroma of marigold is excellent at repelling insects such as Mexican bean beetles, squash bugs, thrips, tomato hornworms and whiteflies. They are also effective at repelling soil-dwelling microscopic white worms, which are known for ravaging tomatoes, potatoes, roses and strawberries.

Chrysanthemums

A perfect companion plant that not only adds a beautiful pop of color to the garden when planted in flower beds or vegetable gardens, it is also very effective at repelling Japanese beetles.

Clover

Lawn lovers will perhaps balk at the notion of deliberately planting clover when most spend so much time and money to rid lawns of this very annoying weed. As with most things, it is all about control. When planted around cabbage as ground cover in vegetable gardens, clover is quite effective at preventing cabbage worm.

Lavender

This pleasing aromatic herb is very effective at controlling mosquitoes and fleas, which believe it or not are very common in gardens due to the animals that scurry about. I especially like to use the oils on my skin to avoid mosquito bites while working in the garden.

Oregano

Like lavender, oregano is also very effective at controlling mosquitoes and fleas and it is also effective as an insect repellant. As a cautionary measure, test a little on your skin to make sure it does not cause irritation. I often grab a few leaves from my herb garden and rub them in my palms to release the oils and then rub on exposed areas of skin to help prevent mosquito bites.

More questions? I would love to hear from you and also receive feedback. Until next week!

Happy Gardening….

Farm Girl In The City™

I'm Bonnie McDaniel of Farm Girl In the City™ and I'll be writing on Patch about gardening, cooking, flowers, good living, urban gardening and more!
Connect with me on social media on Twitter and Instagram for your daily dose of food and garden inspiration. You can also find me on Facebook, and check out my blog here. Stay tuned for the release of my new cookbook, the first of the Farm Girl In The City cookbook series, due out later this year!