Vegetable gardens require regular, careful attention. Pests and insects pose an ongoing threat, which could harm or destroy carefully planted crops.
Soaking vegetables regularly with deep, frequent watering helps them grow strong enough to ward off pests. Fertilizer may be necessary depending on soil test results or recommendations from vegetable plant specialists.
Soap Spray
Soap sprays offer an effective natural way to rid vegetable gardens of any pesky bugs that threaten their crops. While not as fast, this homemade solution is safe for people, pets and the environment – as well as being easy and cost-effective enough to be used until harvest.
Water combined with mild liquid soap is an effective bug killer that suffocates pests by disrupting their cell membranes, such as dish or castile soap. A great starting recipe should use 1.5 teaspoons per quart of water. Pour this solution into a clean garden spray bottle and spray all infested plants from top to bottom, including beneath their leaves; rinse your spray bottle between applications.
Addition of vegetable oil can significantly improve a spray’s effectiveness by coating insects’ outer surfaces, making breathing difficult for them. While other recipes call for using apple cider vinegar, ground red pepper or neem oil instead – however these ingredients could harm delicate plant tissue. For optimal results use a clean jar with lid to mix soap and oil together, and shake before each use; best to apply during cooler weather so as to not evaporate too quickly.
Another effective solution is sticky traps, which will capture insects such as aphids, flies and beetles before they do any harm to plants or gardens. You can purchase these at most gardening centers or find free instructions online for creating your own sticky traps.
Alternative organic spray options such as pyrethrum derived from chrysanthemum flowers is effective against most bugs including aphids and hornworms. A homemade solution of 1 tablespoon of liquid soap per gallon of water also proves helpful, while these options remain safe for pets, children, vegetables or soil without leaving behind harmful residues behind. Alternatively, for something stronger you could look into products OMRI listed as you might even consider purchasing an OMRI listed product (Organic Materials Review Institute).
Vegetable Oil Insecticide
Vegetable oil sprays are an inexpensive, natural insecticide that are effective against aphids, mites and thrips.1 Cottonseed oil tends to be the most insecticidal option – just mix a teaspoon or so with 1 quart of water and spray directly on plants!
Neem oil is another natural solution, available at most garden centers and suitable for repelling various bugs from cabbage worms and squash bugs aboveground to nematodes and grubs in the soil.2 Additionally, this nontoxic solution does not harm pets, children or wildlife and doesn’t kill beneficial insects that build resistance like synthetic pesticides do.
Other natural methods of controlling vegetable garden pests include row covers, cultivation and weed control. Vigorous vegetables tend to ‘outgrow’ insect damage over time and crop rotation is one way of keeping pests away from other crops. Sanitation (like disposing of infested plant or trash material that harbor pests) and weed control also aid in eliminating this problem; timing plantings early is particularly effective as many insect pests such as corn earworm and squash bug populations decrease over time.
Natural insect predators and parasitoids, including lady beetles and lacewings, can also be effective. By increasing the population of natural predators like these insects and protecting our vegetable crops from their attacks, chemical controls will likely become unnecessary. Preserving and increasing predator numbers will significantly lessen chemical costs.
Natural or homemade sprays can provide an effective alternative to synthetic pesticides that damage the environment, soil and plants. Unfortunately, however, natural or homemade pesticides don’t come without risks; some may be toxic to people, animals and the environment if overused or applied too frequently – therefore only use them when other methods fail. If using them however, read and follow label instructions carefully in order to make sure it will be safe to use in your garden; make sure homemade products stay out of direct sunlight as this may hasten degradation over time.
Vinegar
Vinegar can do wonders both inside the home and out in the garden, from sanitizing tools to controlling weeds – it truly serves many functions in vegetable gardening! With such an inexpensive yet effective product available on the market today, why would anyone not use vinegar to maintain their vegetable garden?
Vinegar can be an effective weed killer when applied directly to the entire surface area of weeds, though care must be taken to dilute it significantly before spraying as too much vinegar may kill surrounding plants very rapidly. For quick and easy weed killing, mix equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle and spray directly on target plants; avoid over-spraying as this could kill those you would like to preserve!
White vinegar can be sprayed or poured onto ant trails and hills to deter them from entering your garden area, as well as around greenhouse foundations or garden beds to deter animals such as deer, raccoons or rabbits that might otherwise devour carefully cared-for veggies, fruits or flowers. It also deters deer grazing on lawns containing vegetable gardens!
An equal mixture of water and vinegar can be used to deter insect pests such as aphids, caterpillars and other insect pests from invading plants. Furthermore, this solution may help control plant diseases like mildew, rust or brown spots.
Vinegar solutions can also serve as an excellent flower preservative, helping cut flowers stay fresher for longer. Simply mix a few tablespoons of straight full-strength vinegar in with water in a vase – its acid helps kill bacteria, yeasts that degrade petals unintentionally fermenting flowers, as well as viruses which could pose potential threats to flower health.
Noting the use of vinegar solution in gardening does not alter its pH level or harm any plants; though it will temporarily make the soil more acidic. This may actually prove useful, particularly in areas with depleted soil due to clay or gravel deposits; additionally, diluted solutions of vinegar may also be added into filler water for potted crops such as flowers and vegetables to maintain optimal soil moisture levels.
Garlic
Garlic has long been used as an ingredient in culinary dishes, but gardeners can now utilize its power to repel common garden pests naturally. Unlike chemical sprays that may harm beneficial insects and contaminate soil, natural garlic-based sprays are nontoxic and eco-friendly – an ideal choice for organic gardening!
Garlic’s distinctive smell comes from allicin, a sulfur-containing compound with insecticidal properties. Plant roots absorb allicin and use it as protection from bugs that prefer feeding on them; though not as effective as commercial pesticides, using all-natural garlic spray may help deter pests like aphids, potato beetles, cabbage moths, and carrot flies from damaging vegetable gardens.
Make an easy homemade garlic spray by crushing six cloves of garlic and adding them to two quarts of water in a pot on the stove, along with one tablespoon of hot chili powder – which also repels insects – in a simmering mixture on your stove top for 15 minutes before straining out and pouring the solution into a spray bottle for use on vegetables each week, taking care to cover both undersides of leaves as well.
Not only can you use garlic spray on and around your plants, you can also create garlic traps to lure and kill pests such as aphids. Simply fill a shallow dish with water, chop up some garlic and add several drops of liquid soap before setting the trap in your garden bed or window sill and checking frequently to catch and kill pests.
As another effective and cost-efficient means of controlling garden pests, another simple and straightforward strategy for eliminating them is by adding a layer of compost around vegetable plants. The organic matter found in compost will naturally deter pests from eating your veggies while helping retain moisture levels and improving soil quality, helping prevent plant diseases in turn. As an alternative to commercial bug sprays, try making your own home-made protection using orange peels as Shannon Harlow-Ellis from Mosquito Joe notes. She believes orange scent can ward off pests such as aphids, caterpillars caterpillars ants mosquitoes slugs snails squished.