Secrets of the Organic Gardener - How to Fight Garden Insects Naturally

With so many people applying chemicals to kill those garden pests, the organic gardener knows that to fight the enemy, natural methods are the only way to go. Growing garlic around the garden and in between plants and vegetables is a known trade secret of many an organic gardener. Also, keeping a spray bottle around with garlic juice to spray around your plant's base can do wonders to repel those little buggers.

Garlic repels aphids, Japanese Beetles, and weevils. Onions and chives can help repel pests, too, but it's advised not to plant onions too close to cabbage plants as they stunt growth.

Other natural repellants

There are companies out there that have created products that are organic and natural and can help you fight those garden pests without the guilt of destroying the environment or the fear of using something that might harm your health.

Here are some of the names of those organic products:

Cobweb eliminator
Bora Care
Eco Exempt
Timbor Professional
Whole Control
Borid Dust
DiaSource Insect Dust
Whitmire Mother Earth D
Catchmaster Glue Boards
FlyWeb Glue Pads
Pherotech Kitchen Fruit Fly Traps
Roach Pheromone Traps
Mosquito Dunks
Bio Mop Floor Clean

Though products can be organic in nature, it doesn't mean they're not toxic to humans on some level. Always read the instructions carefully.

Making Organic Pest Control Products at Home

Sometimes garden centers, garden radio programs and/or community colleges offer classes and seminars on how to make your own homemade organic garden pest control products. These courses teach you how to create recipes for sprays and products that work especially well against grubs, mites, aphids, mealybugs, slugs, fungi and molds, etc.

Products to keep on hand include: hot pepper sauce, cayenne pepper, ivory soap, lime and baking soda. A great site for recipes and ideas is: Earth Easy.com
Other things to remember while organic gardening is to purchase organic soils that have been treated as much as possible against molds, insects and other nuisances. Also, be careful to plant away from areas in the yard where you know insects have been especially prevalent.