Gardens that receive regular care can ward off pest problems with ease. Make sure your vegetable plants have healthy soil, sun exposure, and regular irrigation.
Avoid chemical weed killers as this could harm vegetables. Instead, opt for natural methods like mulching, hoeing and removal of weeds regularly.
Tomato leaves contain alkaloids that are toxic to aphids. Use chopped tomato leaves as part of your homemade anti-aphid spray (Home and Gardens).
Vinegar
Vinegar may be most often associated with adding flavor to salads and pickles, but this versatile household item serves many other functions. In the garden, vinegar can repel pests while acting as a natural alternative for chemical sprays – both beneficial qualities that help create beautiful gardens while simultaneously protecting health. From bug repellent to soil conditioner – vinegar has many uses that will help you create beautiful gardens naturally while supporting family wellbeing.
Vinegar can provide an effective, non-toxic alternative to harsh chemicals for killing weeds in your garden. Its acetic acid can damage and dry out weed leaves, ultimately killing them off. Furthermore, vinegar has also been shown to kill nematodes – microscopic parasites found living within vegetable roots that can be deadly – killing off their presence as well. A solution of one part white or apple cider vinegar to three parts water may be sprayed directly onto any unwanted plants in the garden for optimal results.
Vinegar can also be applied directly to soil to lower its pH level, making it beneficial in many vegetable gardens as it prevents over-acidification that could hinder plant growth. As a guideline, five to ten gallons per 1,000 square feet should be used for application of vinegar in this manner.
After harvesting, fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs should be washed with a strong vinegar solution to disinfect it and eliminate bacteria, yeasts that lead to unintended fermentation and viruses that might threaten its survival. It is best to combine this solution with mild soap for maximum effectiveness when cleaning produce.
Vinegar can be an effective natural insecticide solution for tomatoes, squash and peppers. A mixture of one part vinegar to two parts water should be applied directly onto affected leaves to kill insects such as caterpillars, cabbage maggots, carrot flies and other garden pests.
If your garden is suffering from aphids, cabbage loopers or other leaf hoppers, try planting cosmos, yarrow marigolds dill and goldenrod to attract ladybugs – these voracious eaters have been known to consume up to 50 aphids a day! Additionally they feed on mealy bugs cabbage maggots mites.
Diatomaceous Earth
From aphids to slugs, pests of all sorts can wreak havoc in your vegetable garden. Although there are products on the market designed to eliminate these pesky creatures quickly and safely, it’s wiser to try to find ways to keep them away without using harmful chemicals.
One effective solution for this is diatomaceous earth, a natural powder that can be sprinkled onto vegetables to deter bugs and keep them at bay. Diatomaceous earth works by absorbing insect lipids, leading them to dehydrate over time and eventually die of dehydration.
DE is an eco-friendly alternative to chemical pesticides and can be found at many grocery stores. There are two varieties of DE available: food grade and pool/beer/wine filter grade. Food grade DE contains lower levels of crystalline silica than its counterpart and should not cause irritation when used around plants, pets, eyes or throats; its counterpart can contain higher concentrations; this form should only be used as swimming pool filters but is unsuitable for ingestion or applying directly onto skin.
Note that DE is only effective against soft-bodied pests such as bedbugs; it will not harm beneficial insects like worms. Also, animal and pet ingestion could make DE less safe; be sure only to use it where absolutely necessary.
DE should be applied after the last frost of the season has passed and before any hard rainstorm. Since it works best when applied dry, liberal amounts should be spread around plants as well as applied directly onto the soil surface.
Rats, mice, moles and rabbits can all be effectively deterred using DE. In addition to repelling these pests, DE can also help repel earwigs, silverfish and centipedes as well. Slug and snail traps and compost pile siftings to eliminate maggots are other uses of this versatile material.
Pepper and garlic can also help protect your vegetables by repelling insects that would otherwise consume them, including bugs that feed off them. Sprinkling pepper at the base of your plants or mixing one part vinegar (white or apple cider is ideal) with three parts water will do just the trick!
Rubbing Alcohol
Your bottle of rubbing alcohol in your bathroom cabinet may look like it has no purpose, but this essential household product has many uses for health, hygiene and home use. Rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol) contains disinfectant properties that are effective against bacteria, viruses and fungi growth; additionally it can be mixed with items from around the house such as tomatoes and garlic to create pest sprays that are safe to use around your garden.
A 70% isopropyl alcohol solution can effectively kill soft-bodied insects like mites, thrips and caterpillars. You can apply this treatment directly with cotton swabs soaked in this solution directly onto any bugs that are damaging vegetable plants. Rubbing alcohol may also be used as a preventative measure by spraying weekly sprayings onto them for added peace of mind.
Garlic and tomato leaves contain compounds that are toxic to insects like aphids, mites, and other insects. You can create a homemade garlic spray by boiling peeled garlic cloves in water for several minutes before straining out the solution and spraying the solution on vegetables, flowers, or herbs to help protect from pests.
Tomato leaves contain alkaloid, which acts as an natural insecticide. Soak a cotton swab in a solution of 70 percent isopropyl alcohol and rub it against any plant you suspect of being eaten by insects or parasites; this will burn them while also discouraging other bugs from coming near those leaves.
Slugs and snails can be a nuisance in a veggie garden. One way to combat them is to place saucers of beer around your plants; this will attract slugs and snails, who won’t cross over the liquid barrier to reach your vegetables. Crushed eggshells provide calcium while their sharp edges will deter slugs and snails from crawling across them.
There are a variety of simple natural ways to control garden pests. A small cluster of aphids on broad beans shouldn’t cause alarm; but if an infestation arises, handpick them or spray with jet from your hose jetter. Furthermore, planting flowers that attract ladybugs, soldier beetles and praying mantises could provide additional defense mechanisms against garden pests.
Broken Eggshells
One of the easiest and most efficient ways to keep insects out of your garden is using household items with strong scents that repel or kill various types of pests such as aphids, slugs and other garden insects.
Pepper can repel aphids and other insects. Simply sprinkle some on your plants or mix it with water to create a spray and treat your garden accordingly. In addition, garlic’s strong scent will discourage pests such as aphids, squash bugs, potato beetles and others from invading your vegetable patch; simply hang or place a clove alongside one of your plants as a deterrent or use mole or gopher tunnels as barriers against these invaders!
Egg shells with their jagged edges can help deter slugs and snails from coming near your vegetables, as their sharp, jagged edges will cut into their soft bodies, prompting them to leave your garden alone. Furthermore, because eggshells contain calcium they act as natural fertilizer adding nutrients back into the soil as they decay over time.
Your eggshells can also be put to good use in your garden by adding them to a compost pile. Before doing so, however, they must first be crushed so as to facilitate their breakdown more quickly while also decreasing risks associated with salmonella poisoning.
As well as acting as an effective bug repellent, crushed eggshells also make for an excellent soil amendment. When mixed with compost they form an effective natural mulch that retains moisture and keeps weeds away naturally. Furthermore, eggshells can also help tomato gardens avoid blossom end rot due to calcium deficiency issues.
Attract beneficial insects to your garden by planting flowers and herbs they prefer, such as marigolds, fennel, cosmos or marigolds that Ladybugs devour up to 50 aphids daily! Furthermore, Ladybugs have proven invaluable in protecting plants against leaf hoppers, mites and other soft-bodied pests that cause havoc to crops.