Insects And Organic Gardening

One of the hardest things about organic gardening is keeping pests and disease away. Chemical pesticides and fungicides are very effective, after all. Organic gardeners need to start their gardens knowing that they will lose some of their fruits and vegetables to pests; it's unavoidable. Still, the amount of produce lost should be small. Here are some ways to help you cut down on the pests while still keeping your garden chemical free.

If insects are a problem in your garden, a good solution is to introduce the natural predators of those insects into the area. You can get these good bugs into your garden in several ways. Gardening stores often sell live, beneficial insects, like preying mantises and lady bugs that you can purchase and introduce into your garden. You can also attempt to lure these good bugs in by planting flowers that they like. Some of these plants have other good uses, too, such as being edible themselves, so you'll get two benefits for the price of one.

Rotate your plants each year to help prevent pests and plant-killing diseases and fungi. When you plant the same plants in the same places year after year, the pests and diseases that affect those plants build up in the soil and are ready to attack your plants as soon as you plant them. When you move plants around, however, the pests need time to find them again and that can be the difference between plants destroyed by disease and predators and those that thrive.

Set up your garden with tips from garden dad so that plants can help deter pests from their neighbors. The bugs that like to feast on certain plants are also repelled by other plants. When you plant these different plants next to each other, you can help keep those pests away without resorting to chemicals. In most cases, these repelling plants are also edible, so you'll get two advantages out of this technique. Find out which pests you have the biggest problems with to make your repellent-plant selections. This technique can help keep bigger, four-legged pests away, too.

Enlist the aid of unconventional pets to keep bugs in control. Bugs like potato worms are a favorite treat of chickens. In addition to handily taking out pests, chickens also produce great organic fertilizer that can be used directly or in compost creation. Well-tended chickens also produce high quality eggs, which you can enjoy as well. Chickens are not allowed as pets in all areas, though the list of cities that does allow them is rapidly expanding. Check with your city to see if chickens are allowed in your area.