Garden Medley

Many insects are just a pain in your garden. They damage your plants and don’t provide a benefit. But you don’t want to go spray a bunch of chemicals on foods you’re planning on eating.

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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