How to Protect Vegetables From Insects in the Garden
A backyard garden can be a tasty source of fresh, nutritious fruits and vegetables. An insect pest infestation of aphids, beetles and other common bugs can wreak havoc in your garden, decimating your plants and destroying your hard-earned produce. Gardeners can take preventative and corrective steps to protect their vegetables and kill bugs for a lush and bountiful vegetable harvest. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Bug-repelling flowers or herbs
- Natural insect predators
- Spray bottle
- Liquid dish soap
- Insecticide
Instructions
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Choose plants that are less likely to be attacked by bugs. Some plant species are naturally hardy and not infested as often, such as spinach, chard and beans. Other plants have specific hybrids or cultivars that have been bred to be both disease- and insect-resistant.
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Keep your plants healthy. Healthy vegetable plants are less susceptible to insect pests. Provide the plants with the correct amount of water and soil conditioners required by the specific vegetable species to encourage proper plant and fruit development.
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Plant bug-repelling flowers or herbs amongst your vegetables. Not only may the flowers or herbs add a flash of color and sweet aroma to your garden rows, but they may also help deter some insect pests. Examples of bug-repelling flowers and plants include catnip, basil, marigold flowers and dahlias.
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Weed often. Weeds can frequently harbor bug pests within your garden, to say nothing of their ability to choke out your vegetables and compete for space, water and soil nutrients.
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Release natural insect predators in your garden to help control common bug pests. These biological controls can often be obtained from a nursery or specialty garden store. For example, lady beetles are known to attack and control aphid populations.
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Spray your garden vegetables with a homemade insecticidal soap. Pour a quart of water into a spray bottle and mix in two tablespoons of liquid dish soap. Spritz onto your vegetables to suffocate and kill most insects while minimizing future infestations by coating the vegetables with a soapy residue.
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Tips & Warnings
Commercial chemical insecticides can be used in your garden to kill major bug infestations. These chemicals will kill all bugs, including beneficial bugs, and should be used as a last resort.
