Eco-Friendly Pest Control for Your Garden

This is a guest post by Maya Rodgers.

Perhaps one of Mother Nature’s greatest mysteries is her ability to create and maintain highly balanced ecosystems in which animal, plant and insect life mutually thrive.

For me, gardening and eating what I grow is one of my most satisfying hobbies. But when pests make a mess of my garden, I get frustrated and discouraged. Perhaps you’ve experienced a similar feeling? Before turning to products that may harm your garden (and you), investigate natural options. Fortunately, there are many natural and eco-friendly remedies for pest control.

Add Beneficial Insects

One of the simplest solutions to a garden pest problem is to introduce beneficial insects. Remember that not all bugs are pests—beneficial bugs ones will eliminate the pesky ones for you. Unlike pesticides, beneficial insects introduce natural harmony into your garden. Pesticides may kill pests, but they can also kill the beneficial insects, making your garden susceptible to the influence of nearby bugs who can now roam freely.

Ladybugs are one of the best known beneficial insects. They’re predators of common garden pests like aphids, mealy bugs, mites and other soft-bodied insects. Green lacewings are another good insect to have around. They love to feast on aphids and beetles that could potentially damage your garden. Also noteworthy—although not technically an “insect”—are nematodes.

There are many types of beneficial insects, and each targets a range of pests from white grubs, to cucumber beetles and flea larvae. Be careful when purchasing that you order the right kind. Buy beneficial bugs online or at a local gardening store.

Put Up a Wall

Another natural way to control pests in your garden is to divert, deter and deny them access to your goods. Try planting a barrier of spearmint, peppermint or pennyroyal around your garden to deter ants, aphids, cabbage moths and even rodents. You can accomplish this by setting up your garden in concentric rings or squares. Keep plants susceptible to pests on the inner spheres, and plant natural pest repellents like mint on the outside.

If you’d rather not reshape your garden, try one of these other natural pest barriers to deter the little garden ghouls. Sprinkle sand, lime or copper to keep snails away from your harvest. Cayenne pepper, charcoal, chalk and garlic all work effectively to deter ants. Neem oil (derived from neem seeds, an evergreen tree native to India) is a natural, non-toxic spray that kills many pests without harming birds, mammals or beneficial insects.

Lure Pests Away

Also consider the possibility of creating diversions for your garden pests. By creating something that the pests want (or think they want), it’s possible to lure pests away from precious plants. Lures come in many shapes and sizes, and may use scent, light or food to deter bugs. For example, a very simple snail trap that has worked for me in the past is to prop a pot upside down in your garden. Snails should come along and nestle in your pot’s shade. Once they have gathered, you can pick up the snails and deposit them elsewhere. A good lure for slugs is a bowl of beer. Bury a small bowl filled with beer at dirt level so the slugs can easily crawl in. Attracted to the beer, the slugs will climb inside the bowl and drown.

There are many more options for naturally dealing with pests in your garden. Remember, your goal is to keep your garden toxin free and create balance in the ecosystem. Good luck!

About the author: Maya Rodgers works as a pest control consultant and specializes in termite treatment with Terminix. She’s had extensive pest-related gardening experiences, both in her own and others’ backyards. This season, her peppers and tomatoes are doing great, but her Brussels sprouts aren’t flourishing as well as she’d like. Maya muses about many random things at her blog here.

This post is featured at Small Footprint Friday, Tuned-in Tuesday and Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways.