Are You Being Bugged?!

Contributed by Tim Wholey

When you see something amiss with your plants and vegetables, like uninvited guests dining on them, do you cringe at the thought of reaching for that chemical pesticide you keep in your garage? Do visions of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring come to mind? You certainly don’t want to expose your family and pets to anything that could harm them or make them ill. While you don’t want to harm beneficial insects like honeybees, you don’t want to see all your beautiful results, money and hard work being devoured either.

What to do? Don’t fret, there are safe organic remedies that you can easily make yourself, often with ingredients you already have around the house. And you will save some money too!

Various remedies make use of natural odors, bad taste, stickiness, texture & even heat to ward off pests. They call for such common household ingredients as onions, garlic cloves, jalapeno peppers, cooking oil & baking soda, just to name a few. Growing certain flowers and herbs, such as Chrysanthemums, garlic bulbs & Marigolds, and planting them among your vegetables can also be an effective means to ward off certain insects.

To apply any solution, understand the problem first. For instance, is the problem related to insect infestation, fungi, mildew or some other problem? I have selected just a few websites that can help you select the right remedy and walk you through a few simple steps to get you on your way to safer, non-toxic pest control in your garden. If you’re interested in professional help maintaining your garden, we offer Garden maintenance services that can keep your plants healthy and pest-free all year round.