Natural Bug Barriers for Your Vegetable Garden

You've planted the tomatoes, peppers and squash and now are just sitting back waiting for the first taste of fresh vegetable from your garden. Then "they" show up, those pesky pests that eat the leaves of your precious plants and leave you with nothing more than a few stalks in the ground. But you can combat these critters with some of the most common items found around your home.

One of the most common homemade insecticide is a soap spray that works to get rid of beetles and other vegetable-destroying insects. Care must be taken when choosing the soap for your mixture however, as many common dish soaps have perfumes and other additives that can be harmful to your plants. It is best to use Ivory soap or an insecticidal soap made especially for this purpose.

To make this natural insecticide, fill a quart bottle with water and add one tablespoon of liquid dish soap. Spray on the plant thoroughly, working to directly hit any bugs that you see. Soap sprays work because they coat the bug's exoskeleton, dissolving it and killing the insect. Leave on the plant for no more than hour, then thoroughly wash the plants. Leaving this soap mixture on plants can harm them. Never use in extreme heat as the sun will quickly dry the mixture on your vegetable plants, causing them to burn.

Pepper sprays also make an effective homemade insect spray. Take four jalapeno peppers and three to four garlic cloves and blend with four cups of water. Strain, then add one teaspoon of vegetable oil to the liquid so that it sticks to the plants. This homemade insecticide works well with tomato and pepper plants.

You can also take a yellow pan and will it with soapy water. Aphids and beetles, attracted by the yellow color, will climb into the pan and will be suffocated by the soapy water. Planting yellow nasturtiums or other marigolds around the border of a vegetable garden will also help with aphids. Other companion plants that keep away bugs are garlic, basil and catnip.

Crushed eggshells mixed with canola oil can be sprinkled in areas with snails. This works because the sharp edges of the shells pierce the soft bodies of the snails and worms. If you like the drowning method, set out shallow dishes of beer. Snail and slugs will be attracted to the liquid and will go for a swim and drown.

Aluminum foil is also a handy natural insect repellent. Mix foil strips in with mulch to deter pests and give your plants more light as the sun reflects on the foil. You can also wraps the bottom of the plant in a little foil for the same effect. Hanging strips of foil in fruit trees will discourage birds from picking at your fruit.

Before treating your garden, make sure that the bugs that are on your plants are doing harm. Some bugs are beneficial and needed by plants to make them propagate, such as ladybugs and praying mantis. There are even assassin bugs that live up to their name and kills the harmful bugs.

Source:

http://www.weekendgardener.net/organic-pesticide/insecticidal-soap-060706.htm/