Eco-Friendly Pest Control

Have you ever experienced that sinking feeling?

Dig into the vegetable bin only to find a cabbage full of holes? Or perhaps you’ve been enjoying the scent of your favorite rose, only to be spoiled by the sight of a hundred hungry aphids? Insects can make the culprits of oblivion immediately opt for a chemical blitz, but who wants any of that kind of chemical near home-grown food – and what untold harm could you be doing to all the beneficial bugs and other wildlife in the process?

For the environmentally-minded gardener, the obvious solution to the problem is to embrace a variety of traditional organic methods to deal with these pests, including biological controls, best practice techniques and mechanical techniques. Whether it’s carefully placing netting to deter a cabbage white butterfly, or encouraging beneficial predators to catch these unwanted insects, you can take eco-friendly steps to manage pest populations.

Biological control

Basically, biological control involves the active and ongoing use of living organisms (insects, mites, and nematodes) to reduce (or even eradicate) said pest. This may involve purchasing specific beneficial bugs to combat a specific problem (which can be easily purchased online), or simply making your garden more hospitable to them by encouraging natural predators (such as ladybirds) and insect-eating birds (such as fantails). Biological control of common pests such as aphids can be achieved by the parasitic wasp Aphidius colemanii and the predatory midge Aphidoletes aphidimyza, while thrips can be managed by a number of predators, including the pirate bug (Orius vicinus) and the predatory bug (Orius vicinus). Hypospis aculifer).

To encourage the appearance of natural predators in your garden, grow a variety of plants, some of which attract specific predators. Ladybirds (each will eat up to 50 aphids) will be attracted to plants like coriander, dill, fennel and parsley (and many more) - and don't even think about pulling up every dandelion, these beneficial beauties. Love them! Praying mantises repel a wide range of insects and can be attracted to your garden using plants in the rose and raspberry families and tall grasses. All beneficial insects will thrive if your garden is a friendly habitat where they can stay and reproduce - that is, with plenty of plants, lots of places to hide and plenty of water to drink.

Best Practice

Create a favorable environment in your garden by following a number of best practice techniques to ensure your plants are healthy and strong (less likely to be affected by pests), as well as using specific plants and practices to repel or confuse pests. In vegetable gardening, annual crop rotation can reduce the chance of soil-borne pests becoming established – and the practice can also help improve overall soil health. To rotate crops, divide your vegetable garden into three sections and dedicate each section to growing a specific type of crop – for example, planting root vegetables (carrots, parsnips, turnips) in one section, legumes (beans, peas) in a second section, and brassicas (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower) in a third section. The following year, move the crops to the next bed, and then do the same in the third year to complete the rotation.

Growing appropriate companion plants in your vegetable garden is another great strategy for reducing the chance of pest infestation, either by actively repelling unwanted visitors or by attracting desirable predators (to eat the pests). Celery is a popular companion plant for brassicas and beans (it helps to prevent

Cabbage patch), growing carrots near leeks will deter pests from each other. In the flower garden, team garlic with roses (which will disrupt aphids), and adding coreopsis to the mix will also attract ladybirds (which will further upset the remaining aphids by eating them). Other aromatic plants such as lavender, rosemary and feverfew (pyrethrum daisy) will also repel mosquitoes, flies, fleas and ticks. If you have the space, mix and match vegetables, herbs, fruits and flowering/ornamentals throughout the garden rather than growing crops in one dedicated spot. Interplanting edible plants with others over a large area will reduce the chance of attracting pests to any one crop (such as carrot flies being drawn to the concentration of carrots growing in one area). Don’t forget to add a generous mix of native plants to attract even more beneficial bugs. A different approach to planting will result in healthier soil and overall garden environment.

Mechanical techniques

This approach uses actual physical objects or barriers to deter pests, such as proper organic traps or netting, or manual removal of pests.

To deter unwanted nibblers like slugs and snails, you should consider setting up a homemade beer trap. This is a small, beer-filled container that is buried in the soil, which will attract these slimy creatures to their unfortunate end.

Another way to deal with slugs and snails is to go out at night with a torch and pick them off by hand - you can do the same with any other pest, such as caterpillars.

Garden insect netting is a useful item for protecting some crops; however, if you want to protect brassicas from cabbage white moths, you will need to be careful to make sure there are no holes, as they will find their way through small gaps. Netting can also be used to protect strawberries, berry bushes, and fruit trees from hungry birds.

Another great way to protect small fruit trees or raspberry canes (especially from birds) is to build a square or rectangular, fully enclosed fruit cage on a lightweight wooden frame (make sure it has an open door). If space (and budget) allows, build it to a height of 2.5m (and approximately 3m across and 2m deep). Grow dwarf fruit trees, berry canes, or fruit bushes inside the enclosure, or use it as a structure to grow a couple of grapevines. Birds can climb across the roof of the cage, hanging safely below the chicken wire, away from hungry beaks.

However you decide to deal with the various pests in your garden, be aware that they may contribute to the natural balance of your growing space in other (perhaps beneficial) ways. So, instead of completely eliminating every pest you see, it may be enough to reduce the problem to a manageable level.