How to Use Organic Products to Control Pests in your Garden

Organic gardening is eco-friendly, easy, and money saving. There are many organic methods to control pests in your garden. Why choose organic pest control? In the U.S. about 135 million pounds of inorganic pesticide is used on lawns and gardens each year. That is approximately 3 times the amount used on farms. Most of our water source contamination comes from single-family homes, not industry. There are easy natural organic alternatives to control bugs and other creepy crawly pests in your garden. This article won't address mammals in your garden.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Spray applicator for your garden hose
• Spray bottle
• several herbs mentioned in the steps below

1. 

   The first step is to make sure you have a healthy garden. Bugs and other insects feed on the weak plants first. Pull any weak or sick plant that looks infested from your garden. Make sure you do not over fertilize your garden, and use organic fertilizer when you do. Water your garden on a regular schedule so your plants don't have irregular growth which attracts pests. If you can get it, use seaweed mulch to mulch your garden. In has many beneficial trace elements for plant growth and will control slugs by repelling them.

2. 

   Next, plant beneficial herbs interspersed between your other vegetables or flowers. This is one of the easiest forms of pest control.
   *Basil - repels aphids
   *Rosemary - repels fleas and mosquitoes
   *Spearmint - repels ants and attracts lady bugs (a natural predator to many pests and a gardener's friend)
   *Garlic - repels aphids and Japanese beetles
   *Geraniums and Parsley - Attract lady bugs
   *Catnip - repels aphids and beetles
   *Lemon Balm - repels mosquitoes

3. 

   Next step is to attract birds to your garden area. They are natural predators of cut worms and many other pests in your garden, and a great source of pest control. Set up a bird feeder nearby.

4. 

   Some other ways to control slugs in your garden are: spread coffee grounds or egg-shells around the plants, and old beer will do it too. If you use beer make sure it is as close to the soil as you can get it. You can use a jar lid and set in down into the soil and put the beer in. Slugs are done.

5. 

   Finally, if you already have an infestation of aphids or other pests, you can get rid of them by making your own organic insecticides. Take 1 clove garlic and 3 cups water. Chop the garlic and add it to the water and let it sit overnight. Remove the garlic pieces and put the water in a spray bottle or add it to your hose attachment. This is a great natural method of pest control. I recommend that you keep any leftover spray in the fridge, since this will get a little rank if it sits out. I won't go bad, just smell that way. If your plants have a fungal disease, take 2 tablespoons of baking soda to a quart of water and spray on the infected plant. Keep repeating this daily until the fungus is gone.

Tips & Warnings

• Rotate your plant crop every year. This is good for the soil and discourages certain pests from returning to the scene of the crime year after year.
• The herbs you have planted in your garden are not only beneficial for pest control, but also wonderful aromatic and antiseptic, in many cases. Find more uses for them in my articles and those of others on eHow.

Resources

• eHow Home and Garden Topic Guide

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on 5/20/2009 Great ideas for eco friendly pest control