Community Gardens Blog

I just ran across this article posted in E-Zine, dealing with garden insect pests, and I thought I would pass it on with some comments (my comments are this color)… Read the original article here.

“Most gardeners love planting vegetables and watching the little plants grow from a seed. It is a very enjoyable hobby. However, when insects invade and ravage the plants, it can get quite aggravating. There is nothing more frustrating than watching your hard work go down the drain in this age old battle, the gardener versus the insect. There are many organic gardening pest control tips that can help the gardener get the edge on its unwanted visitor without adding poisonous chemicals to the area that you are growing food for your family.”

See the UCCE/ANR Integrated Pest Management page for specific treatments and strategies for our locally occurring pests.

“Organic gardening is popular. It is healthier to eat produce that is insecticide free. Most insecticides in the stores are filled with chemicals. It is always a question if just washing off produce actually gets rid of the chemicals.

Attracting good insects is always a great insect control plan. Good insects kill the bad ones that tend to eat the plants. Around the edges of your garden plant flowers that will attract the beneficial insects. Examples of the plants are marigolds, zinnias, cosmos, daisies and dill.”

Our plan for the gardens includes a perimeter planting of beneficial insect host host plants. A local supplier of insect attracting seed mixes is S&S Seeds in Carpenteria. For those of you with large areas or hillsides to maintain, S&S also offers a large variety of native wildflower mixes to suit different needs.

“If you have a small family garden, handpicking the insects off of the plant may be considered. However, this job can also drive you crazy. The bugs will continue to come back or more will come in its place.”

Suggestion: Some pests, like snails and earwigs, hide under cover during the day time. A board placed on the ground overnight, when flipped over, will reveal snails, ready to stomp. Earwigs will collect in a rolled up and flattened newspaper, which can be collected and submerged in water to kill the bugs.

“You can consider making your own homemade “bug juice”. Take about one half of a cup of bugs and smash them up in two cups of warm water. Run this through a very small colander that you do not plan on using again. Put this into a spray bottle. This bug juice tends to deter new ones of that species. It is deterrence.

If smashing bugs is not for you, try another recipe for a natural spray. Finely chop up some hot peppers and soak them into a pint of water overnight. Strain them and put into a spray bottle. Spray onto plants. This spray will work on vegetables as well as flowers. You can also use garlic in place of the hot peppers.”

Hint: Garlic and Pepper spray does work pretty well in deterring some insects. A few drops of dish washing liquid detergent helps emulsify the mixture and makes it easier to spray. The detergent (also called a ’surficant’) also helps the spray stick to the waxy surfaces of some plants and leaves.

“As people are determining that there is a value to food that is grown without chemicals and additives, organic gardening is becoming more popular. Growing fruits and vegetables without pesticides is a great way to provide food for your family. Using insects, different types of plants and homemade sprays all are effective at controlling the insect population in your yard and garden.”

Author Lucinda Pryse enjoys writing about various topics, including gardening, health, and education. Visit her latest web site at http://smallfoodprocessors.net where she shares tips about buying small food processors.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lucinda_Pryse