Vegetable Gardening & Pest Control

Integrated Pest Management will protect a flourishing vegetable garden.

Managing pests from taking control of your vegetable garden will guarantee a robust crop. Thorough pest control protects all parts of the plant, including its roots, because bugs can come by air and land or through the soil. The strategies that experts call "Integrated Pest Management" support a vegetable garden by using natural options when possible and attracting good insects that ward off pests and attract needed pollinators.

Genetic

Some vegetables are naturally more disease resistant than others. Being hardier, they will also better fend off pests. Just because summer squash, for example, tends to resist mildew, however, does not mean that extreme or adverse weather conditions may not weaken its typical immunity. Reinforce the vegetable's natural strength with regular watering and the appropriate fertilizer. Bolster this strategy by planting more of the hardy crop than needed, which will provide a greater margin in case weather interferes. Neighbors always enjoy unexpected homegrown vegetable gifts.

Biological

The natural environment will provide biological elements like pests' natural predators to protect vegetable gardens. Do not kill or shoo insectivores like spiders if they take up residence in the garden. Make the garden more hospitable for them by using mulch, which offers them protection and humidity. The mulch itself may also repel some pests. Spiders will eat almost anything; but they can also become distracted by prey not damaging the vegetables. Other insectivores target specific pests. For example, wasps go after aphids, a common vegetable garden pest.

Environmental or Cultural

Native vegetables or those easily adaptable to the local environment will be the best resistant to pests. Rotating those crops from year to year also prevents soil pests, in particular, from taking root. Plowing to expose the soil before planting a new crop will also help by exposing soil pests to the elements. Making and using barriers to make it more physically difficult for pests to reach vegetable plants will protect them while they are establishing themselves. Collars made from disposable plastic cups with their bottoms cut off that are 4 inches tall and lodged 2 inches into the ground or reusable row covers made from spun polyester that are securely anchored will protect newly-planted crops during their first four to six weeks.

Chemical

When combinations of genetic, biological and environmental or cultural strategies fail to protect a vegetable garden, properly used insecticides can powerfully manage pests. Newer insecticides are often less toxic and produce less collateral damage when applied to a vegetable garden; but they should still be used cautiously, under its own directions. Not every insecticide can be used for any vegetable crop. It may also kill or have an adverse effect on insectivores already in the garden. Spot, rather than blanket, treatments in vegetable gardens prove most effective. Microbial biopesticides can also provide an alternative to traditional chemical pesticides.

References

• University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture; Insect Pest Management in the Home Vegetable Garden; John D. Hopkins, et al.
• Texas A&M University Departments Entomology and Horticultural Sciences: Vegetable IPM
• University of Connecticut Integrated Pest Management; Resistant/Tolerant Vegetable Varieties Are Worth a Try; T. Jude Boucher; January 1999

Resources

• Colorado State University Extension; All About Spiders; Dr. Linda S. Rayor
• Cornell University Department of Horticulture: Managing Insect Pests in Vegetable Gardens