NATURAL PEST CONTROL

Nix the Harsh Chemicals!

Pests happen in a garden. There’s no getting around it. But that doesn’t mean you have to resort to harsh chemicals. Natural pest control utilizes organic methods for dealing with pests.

This means fewer synthetic chemicals in your food and less risk of wiping the population of beneficial bugs.

Dealing with garden pests naturally can include the concept of companion planting, controlling pest populations manually, or treating with organic pest killers.

• Try diatomaceous earth. It’s a mouthful to pronounce, but easy to use in the garden. Diatomaceous earth (or DE) is made up of the silica-rich, fossilized skeletons of minute aquatic organisms called diatoms. This finely powdered dust works not by poisoning insects, but rather by drying them out: It absorbs the oils from their exoskeleton. The sharp edges of diatomaceous earth particles are abrasive and will roughen the exoskeleton, speeding up the drying process.
• Fertilize your plants. Healthy plants can fed off pests more easily than stressed plants. I like to make a mix of one tablespoon liquid kelp per gallon of water and use it as a foliar spray on my garden crops and fruit trees.
• Add neem oil. To add some natural pest control to your kelp spray, mix in a tablespoon of neem oil. It helps with crawling pests and can also help keep powdery mildew at bay.

More ideas for implementing natural pest control in your garden: