Organic Garden Pest Control

The benefits of growing an organic garden are many. For one thing, the earth doesn't absorb toxic chemicals so therefore neither do the plants that grow in the soil. Another benefit is that when humans don't ingest toxins from eating the vegetables in an organic garden either, as the plants were grown in a pure and natural environment. Although there are predators that would love to come and enjoy the fruits of our labor, there are green and natural ways to protect your garden without using chemical pesticides.

Figure out what types of predators you find around your area. What animal species do you see around your house? What kinds of insects? In first knowing what you are dealing with you can better figure out what the best preventative course of action will be. If there are insects involved then it would serve you well to take a sample of the damage to a local nursery and find out from an expert what the pest is and and how best to deal with it in an organic way.

In dealing with animal predators there are some ways to keep them out without harming them or harming your plants. One method is to place hair from your own pets around in the garden. This can be a deterrent to many animals. As for winged animals, place a couple of good old fashioned scarecrows and add strong odors to them such as garlic and pepper, around your garden. They actually are effective.

If you have a fenced in yard then that will eliminate some of the possible predators, however if you do now then you may want to put up some garden fencing around your plants to keep animals out. Use a fencing material that has very small openings so that small animals and rodents cannot crawl in. Also use pointy sharp wire on the top of them so they cannot crawl over it.

Plant items that many insects dislike such as marigolds or pansies within the same bed as your vegetables. This will discourage them from getting into the area where the plants that they enjoy eating on are located. This can be effective for things such as cucumbers and squash amongst other vegetable plants.

There are actually some insecticides on the market that are non-toxic. These products can be found at many health food stores and organic nurseries. One such product is the Garlic Barrier, which consists of a very strong concentration of garlic and water. It acts as a very strong repellent to many pests including insects. rodents and bird species. You may also create your own by using a much larger ratio of garlic than of water. Neem oil is another good products which can be found in various natural retail shops.

Resources:

http://www.garlicbarrier.com/

http://www.gardenmandy.com/organic-environmental-and-natural-ideas-for-pest-control/