From the article: Common Vegetable Garden Pests and How to Get Rid of Them
There are many effective ways to deal with insect, mammal, and bird pests in the vegetable garden that don't rely on chemicals to do the job right. I'm asking you, About Organic Gardening readers, to share your tips. Have a great way of dealing with tomato hornworm? Tell us about it! Figured out how to rid your garden of slugs? Share it! By pooling our knowledge, we can give our fellow organic gardeners more tools to help them grow a successful vegetable garden. Share Your Secrets!
Organic Pest control
- In one gallon of water mix 2 tablespoon vegetable oil, 2 tablespoon baking soda, and 2 table spoon powdered laundry soap. Mix thoroughly and spray directly into the pests. Continue spraying until the pests population are iliminated.
- —Guest Crisologo
Organic gardens and pests
- I needed a raised garden because I have a bad back injury, so my husband built my garden about 2 feet in height. We filled it with much dried animal manure, organic soil ....and plants. As the garden was in our orchard area, in order to stop the bugs and crawlies, we we put my Chinese Silkie Bantams in the orchard. Being that they dont fly, they were an excellent choice of chook to put there because they couldn't get up into the garden and destroy the plants. They loved to scratch and kept the slugs, slaters, caterpillars and other nasties, out of the garden. We never had any problems with bugs and our vegetables tasted wonderful.
- —Guest Cheekyface
Pest Control
- I absolutely love some of these ideas! You guys are sooo clever!! I use trap crops, mainly radishes around squash, cuke and melon plants as well as home made cloches to protect from squash bugs, and cucumber beetles. Normally they go for the radishes and once those are "trashed", I simply pull up and discard. I also use a lot of companion planting, I use lots of marigolds (the smellier the better), nasturtiums, and other in and around my garden beds. I plant 4 o'clock on the permitter of our property to feed those Japanese beetles. 4 o'clock are toxic to the beetles, and it adds an extra layer of protect from my roses, trees and shrubs. Our lawn is loaded with Milky Spore which is greatly reduced our beetle problems.
- —doccat5
Slug control
- A small saucer (the kind tea cups sit on)filled with beer - slugs love beer. They dive in for a drink and can't get out.
- —Guest Stefanie B
Insects
- I hand-pick most pest insects and place in plastic containers. I also hand-sweep clusters such as aphids into the containers. I then freeze them. I make my own suet and in the winter I add these insects for extra protein for the birds.
- —Guest MickieC
Pest Control
- Sprinkle red or black ground pepper on the leaves (yes you have to re apply after the rain but it is inexpensive and doesn't harm the plants or the animals. I also place small cups of blood meal around the garden. I use caps from detergent bottles or small bottles from medicines, aspirin, and film containers. I bury them in the ground leaving about 1 inch sticking out of the ground and fill it with granulated blood meal. This lasts all summer.
- —Guest krukow
Best way to deal with garden pests
- Give birds an alternative to eating your vegetables. Set up several bird feeders around the perimeter of the garden and fill them with what your birds like to eat.
- —Guest Doc Stone
