Pest Screening for Vegetable Gardens
As part of a trend to organic, environmentally conscious methods to deal with pests, some gardeners are turning away from pesticide use altogether. Screening gardens offer an alternative to pesticides or harsh chemicals for keeping insects from eating homegrown vegetables. Does this Spark an idea?
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Types
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Gardeners can make a wire screen enclosure for a small garden. For larger gardens, the National Garden Association recommends floating row covers to keep bugs out, especially if you're avoiding insecticides. Association blogger Kate Jerome says she's used row covers for years, and they've been "amazingly successful" in her garden.
Function
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Row cover manufacturer Reemay states that floating row covers, which resemble giant lightweight sheets, are made of polyester fabric that allows air, water, fertilizers and light in while keeping pests out. The fabric also allows 75 percent light transfusion, Reemay notes, something that mesh screen could prevent.
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Benefits
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The National Gardening Association and row cover manufacturer Reemay state that row covers extend the growing season and yield higher-quality harvests much faster than gardens planted without row covers. This is because the covers keep that plants warmer and protect them from wind, insects and birds. Jerome writes that she's had the most success with row covers as barriers in her vegetable gardens and that the covers are easy to anchor with pins or stones.
Misconceptions
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The biggest misconception about screening is that once a screen has been placed, a plant can grow unaided. As the National Gardening Association points out, row covers must be removed in extreme heat. For some plants such as squash, screens and covers can prevent pollination. Another misconception is that screening can prevent all pests. Row covers cannot combat ground-dwelling pests, such as slugs, worms and maggots.
Warnings
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Jerome says that timing is key when placing a barrier, so it's important to know when the pests in your area lay eggs and place barriers before they have a chance. Also know the bugs that thrive in your area; some common garden pests such as grasshoppers can chew through fabric and might be able to get through row covers.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit grasshopper image by pearlguy from Fotolia.com
