“I’m empathetic to a fault. I really do – embarrassingly enough – tear up when someone squishes a bug in front of me.” ~Kristen Bell
The quote at the beginning of this post is how I am, or at least how I was before gardening! I am still very much empathetic to a fault. Mind you, I still do not like most “pests” to be harmed. I totally prefer to live and let live as much as possible. That is why I try to do all that I can for prevention where the pests are concerned in my garden. I mess up sometimes in not using things quickly enough because I try so hard not to use things to reduce potential harm to beneficial insects. I will most likely continue to do that, just because of my level of letting it bee!
However, I do like to actually eat and share what I grow, so I use different methods, as described below to keep the methods that “unalive” insects from my garden. However, there are just some things that no matter how much you prepare, will eat your garden to nothing if you let them go. So, I do resort to the occasional application of organically accepted pest control.
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Hydration & Nutrition
Everything good in the garden starts with hydration and nutrition. It is quite similar to our own systems really. As long as we keep properly hydrated and get proper nutrition, we have less pest pressure on our own systems. So, from the onset, giving our gardens the best possible watering and nutrients will keep the pests at a lower level. This means less food to lose and fewer bugs to unalive! Ultimately, the best for this is drip irrigation, which I do not yet have. I am still debating this, as I do not have a well and it will be very costly on the water bill. Using a moisture meter can be helpful to ensure that the soil is at the right moisture level.
So for now, I resort to a combination of hose watering, ollas, and as much rainwater as possible. This has worked well for me for over three and a half years. I do notice if I don’t get the watering right, plants struggle, and then the pests move in. So, I do all I can to avoid that. This year, I will be using more ollas than ever–due to the biggest garden, I’ve had here. So far I have only one in use, and I will be making a bunch more to put in all my beds.
As for nutrition, starting off with good fertilizers and maintaining proper levels of nutrition will also reduce pest pressure. I predominantly use my own fertilizers and commercially available ones as well. My own comes predominantly from compost tea that I make along with my own and (when not available) worm castings. I also use this fish fertilizer and bone meal as well. As I also learned from Brian at Next Level Gardening, aspirin helps a great deal in keeping a natural defense in place for tomatoes. I have also been making my own worm castings from worms that I ordered from Uncle Jim’s Worms. I have a great deal of worms and my own worm castings now thanks to those worms! More on the worms here.
Planting for Your Climate
Planting the right things for your zone. Also, planting things that are known for reducing pest pressure is also very beneficial. If you are not sure what to plant when in your climate, you are not alone! No matter how long we garden we can always learn. One of the best places to get an idea about what to plant is at almanac.com. By planting the right things at the right times the plants will struggle less. Often, pest pressure can be avoided by simply planting on time.
Trap Crops
I like to use other crops, known as trap crops to help keep the pest pressure as low as possible as well. This is a good part of companion planting. The most common flower that I plant throughout the garden is marigolds, they help a great deal in this reduction of pests. I know that there are some who say that they do not help, but I have found a difference in areas where I don’t use them. Plus I like the way they look and smell, so for the time being, for me and my garden, they stay. Every area is different though, so you may just need to experiment. Also, planting rosemary, and using green onions (or other alliums) is said to deter them.
Additionally, Alyssum is very good. Planting things in the garden that attract beneficial insects is SUPER helpful! By having crops that attract insects that eat harmful insects, the need for using other methods is greatly reduced.
Barriers
Another way to keep pests out is by using Tulle and Organza bags as a barrier between the pest and the produce. I use tulle on a lot of things, both in the garden and around seedlings, etc. If the crop does not need pollination, you could essentially use it as they do with large crops and cover them all. If they do need pollinating, you can always resort to hand pollinating.
The organza bags are super helpful at keeping all pests from the fruit-whether it’s little tomatoes, passionfruit, or other small fruits they ensure you get the fruit, not the pests! If you need the larger bags, these are great! I absolutely reuse these bags. I just wash them in a solution of water and peroxide after each use, rinse them thoroughly, and hang them to dry. I love them!
Organic Pesticides
When all else fails (or preferably before) I do resort to organic pest control. I really do like to get ahead of that and preventatively start with Neem Oil regularly. With all of these treatments that I mentioned, it is very important to follow the directions and always test to make sure that they are okay for your specific crops/location, etc. When I first see any sign of caterpillar damage, then I will go in with the BT. It is pretty effective for cabbage moth caterpillars (actually white butterfly larvae).
Spinosad
However, if it is Pickle Worms, Army Worms, or anything of that level of destruction, I go right for the Spinosad. With any of these things, it is imperative to treat either early morning or late evening–when the pollinators are not out. Otherwise, you could inadvertently harm them. Either way, it is important to avoid spraying on flowers as much as humanly possible. I typically spray the leaves, top and bottom. I use this sprayer. You can get a one or two-gallon sprayer, I use the one-gallon pump sprayer. This one has lasted me several years so far and still works like a charm.
I like Neem Oil, I typically try to use it every week, and it seems to do a pretty good job at keeping most things at bay. It is super important to get the right kind! It is super important to have the one with aziradactin in it, not the other ones. There are plenty of others that do not have the aziradactin in it, but I have tried a couple and found them to be far less effective. I use this one specifically, so I can only attest to that. It is best kept at warmer temperatures so it doesn’t solidify as much. I tend to keep mine either inside or in my lanai. The premixed ones are more “convenient”, meaning you do not have to mix them. However, the concentrate lasts so, so, so much longer and it is far more effective.
This is one of the more common treatments for caterpillars. I find it not as strong for certain ones and that’s when I resort to Spinosad.
I could probably get away with just using Spinosad on everything. However, I don’t really want to resort to this level of unaliving more than I have to. It is very effective and has, on many occasions saved my crops! I cannot say enough good about it. I use this particular one and swear by it.
So, that is for the most part how I keep pests at bay in my garden. Even with all these efforts, there can be issues. The best thing to do is remember patience in the garden. Some times are better than others but I have found more often than not, there is more than enough.
Happy Gardening,
Jennifer