Choosing Organic Pest Control for your Garden

Going organic in your garden has never been easier. There are a number of organic solutions to pesky insects which eliminate the need to use synthetic chemicals on our plants.

Chemical pesticides have been found to destroy the natural composition of the soil, leach into the water system, and enter our bodies when we eat our garden’s fruits and vegetables. The verdict is still out on the dangers of chemical pesticides, so why take the chance? Go organic today!

Your vegetable garden is certainly the envy of the neighborhood, so why not do whatever you can to eliminate damaging insects? The easiest way to eliminate pests is to introduce other insects and wildlife that naturally feed off them. They include:

• Birds
• Frogs
• Ladybugs
• Ground Beetles
• Lacewings
• Flower Flies

Birds can be easily attracted by placing nesting boxes and bird baths near your garden. They will dine on a number of destructive insects, including grubs, caterpillars, slugs and aphids.

Add a pond to your garden to attract frogs and toads. They are great at eliminating slugs, woodlice and many other small insects.

Ladybugs are a garden’s best friend, as they eradicate aphids. You can attract ladybugs by planting certain plants. Ask your local horticulturalist or gardening center about ladybug-attracting plants.

Ground beetles dine on a number of garden pests, including cutworms, slugs, snails, and other types of insects in their larvae stage. Some stone or leaf cover will attract ground beetles, which come out at night to eat.

Lacewings – Pollen and nectar flowers are the easiest way to attract lacewings. Ask your local garden center or horticulturalist for the best flowering plants to attract lacewings.

Flower flies feed on aphids, and they are attracted to a garden that has marigolds and nasturtiums.

Planting certain elements to fend off pests

Another, organic pest control solution includes the use of garlic. Planting garlic with tomatoes keeps away red spider mites. It is also beneficial for pest control, and works as a natural pesticide and as an insect repellant.

Planting garlic around fruit trees repels borers, and spraying a garlic and mineral oil pesticide solution on sweet potatoes will repel rabbits.  You can also spray ponds with a garlic and mineral oil solution to kill mosquitoes.

You can introduce other certain plants in your garden to repel pests. You can plant basil to repel asparagus beetles, thrips, and tomato heartworms.  Plant green beans to eliminate Colorado potato beetles.  Plant tomato plants to eliminate asparagus beetles.

Use herbs, such as sage, thyme, garlic, onion, oregano, rosemary, dill and lavender to control a wide variety of pests, such as mosquitoes, moths, rabbits, aphids, beetles, squash bugs, white flies, and cabbage loopers, just to name a few.

Marigolds are a great way to eliminate corn earworms, aphids, leaf hoppers, Mexican leaf beetles, rabbits, squash bugs, thrips and tomato heartworms.

Try catnip as an effective repellant against aphids, corn earworms, cucumber beetles, flea beetles, squash bugs and even mice.

Your local horticulturalist can help you to identify a number of pests in your garden and make suggestions regarding organic pest control.