All is not lost. There are natural ways to control the pests in your garden.

Garlic and onions can be quite effective. Liquify these and spray them onto soft body insects to kill them. It can also paralyze flies. A garlic or onion spray can work as a fungicide too.

You can include hot peppers with your garlic or onion spray to make it stronger if you like. Hot peppers can also be effective on it’s own, but the garlic really can help. Sprinkle it about to discourage rabbits and other small animals.

Cornmeal can be used as a fungicide. Mix it with water to make a tea.

Crushed egg shells or lime can help to keep slugs and snails away. It’s the calcium carbonate in them that does the work.

Put several tablespoons of ground cloves in a gallon of water for a spray that is effective against flying insects.

Vinegar mixed at a rate of no more than 2 tablespoons to a gallon of water makes a good mild fungicide. Too strong can damage or kill your plants. However, at this level it’s also a good fertilizer for your plants.

Vegetable oils can be used to kill bugs. They work by causing the bugs to suffocate. Use about a cup of oil to a gallon of water.

There are many more natural ways to control pests in your garden, but these should give you some easy ways to get started.

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If you grow lettuce and other vegetables, rabbits and other such critters can be a major problem. I’ve gone over some tactics in the past on how to keep them out without poisons. This one I hadn’t heard yet.

Get some plastic snakes and put them in your garden around the plants you want to protect. Rabbits and other small animals are very afraid of snakes, and won’t realize these are fakes, especially if you move them around regularly.

Now, as a parent I can say the one problem with this idea is getting the kids to leave the plastic snakes in the garden where you want them. Such a toy is just about irresistible to young children.

On the other hand, kids playing with the snakes ensures they won’t always be in the exact same places or positions, which is a good thing. You just have to be up to the challenge of getting the kids to keep putting the snakes back where they belong.

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If you have children, this is one job they can be trained to help with. Snails are easy to pick up and many kids are fascinated by bugs of any sort anyhow. Have them collect the snails in a bucket or old coffee can.

My mother’s way of handling snails was to simply pour salt over them. It leaves a rather disgusting mess, and you may prefer to be more compassionate. If you prefer you can take the snails someplace far from your garden and release them. Some preschool classes may also occasionally keep a tank of snails for educational purposes. As I noted above, kids love bugs.

It may take weeks to get your snails under control. They’re generally all over the place, and it can be amazing how many there are in some areas. Learn where they tend to spend a lot of time, such as inside certain plants or under leaves. It will make the search much easier.

You can, if you like use snail bait, but the problem with that is that it is BAIT, and may attract more snails even as it kills them. If you’re trying to keep things organic and environmentally friendly, you probably won’t want to use this, even though it doesn’t go right on your plants. It’s still a poison and may not be safe for other animals or children.

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Gardens are almost irresistible to squirrels. Gardens offer an easy food source to them, and many popular garden plants taste great to squirrels.

A fence is not sufficient to keeping squirrels out of the garden. They’re great climbers and many of them jump quite well too. Especially if you have a tree overhanging your garden, don’t assume that a fence will do much of anything to keep squirrels out.

Repelling them humanely is quite challenging. Most sprays and such aren’t all that effective. You can use products such as Ropel to discourage them from chewing on furniture and such. You can also install a motion sensitive water sprinkler such as Scarecrow to scare them away gently.

Some people do have success with repellants that smell like the urine of a predator, but others find that they don’t work so well. You’ll have to decide for yourself if these are worth your while. Similarly, some have luck with audio repellants while others do not.

Traps are always an option, but not so easy to use in the garden. Tempting that squirrel into a trap can be quite a challenge. There are humane traps that will allow you to capture the squirrel alive. Make sure you know local laws on trapping.

While most fencing is not terribly effective at keeping squirrels out, you can install fencing that they will find more challenging. Use 1 inch wire mesh buried at least 6 inches deep and extending at least 30 inches up, with another six inches bent at 90 degrees outward to make it more challenging. Add electrified strands to shock the animals away if they try to climb it. One should a couple inches off the ground and another about three inches above the rest of the fence.

I don’t recommend poisons, especially if you have pets or children. Poisons are a danger to more than the animals you are targeting. These humane options have the advantage that they are designed to discourage rather than injure.

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