Natural Pest Control for a Healthy Garden ~ 7+ Ideas!

Wherever vegetation is growing, garden pests will be feasting on plants and that includes your vegetable plants. The delicious foods and fragrant flowers are meant for human enjoyment but devouring pests don’t see it that way. Learn about natural pest control methods are environmentally friendly.

Discover these DIY pest control ideas to get rid of unwelcome bugs fast and even prevent them from returning by using some of these methods for controlling common garden pests.

Natural Pest Control Methods

So, get a jump on things and be prepared with some simple yet effective tips and ideas on natural pest control.

Finding methods that are safe and non-toxic help create a healthier environment.

Natural garden pest control methods are needed for use on food plants, fragrant flowers, and especially any outdoor location where children and pets might visit.

Companion Planting

Companion planting attracts beneficial insects and birds into the garden while repelling harmful pests and diseases.

The method incorporates natural plant defenses that protect themselves and the surrounding plants from insects and disease.

Companion planting is perfect for the organic garden.

* Marigolds repel aphids, mosquitoes, thrips, whiteflies, bean beetles, squash bugs, and tomato hornworms, and underground nematodes. Tuck in a few marigolds around the perimeter of your garden and among tomato plants.

* Nasturtiums, basil, and mint repel mosquitoes, flies, and other little flying garden pests while attracting insects that are beneficial.

* Alliums and catmint will help keep aphids, black spot, powdery mildew, and mites off garden plants.

Hand Picking

Well, for starters……this is not my favorite method of getting rid of garden pests but it is highly effective! Hand picking along with many other ways help control an unwanted aphid population.

Learn how to control aphids today!

Simply looking through your lettuces, broccoli and cabbage leaves and then hand-picking off the unwelcome bugs, worms and pests is a surefire way to reduce the population.

Garden Toads

So, if handpicking is not your thing…..think about toads! Toads are nocturnal feeders that have a voracious appetite for common garden pests. Slugs, snails, beetles, crickets, flies, ants, cabbage loopers, tomato hornworm, and small rodents.

Toads are carnivores and will eat all small creeping, crawling, slithering, and flying pests that enter your garden. They are a great natural pest control living resource!

Invite a garden toad to live in your garden by creating an inviting home for it. In an out-of-the-way corner, create a shallow hole in the garden soil and fill the hole with wet leaves.

Stack a few sticks or rocks on top of hole, leaving an entrance way for the toad. Or, simply get a toad house! Keep soil moist and a toad or two will come.

Hoverflies

These beneficial insects look like small bees that hover over plants. When they spot a destructive garden pest they will dart in and grab it.

Hoverflies feed on mealybugs, aphids, and several other garden pests.

Attract hoverflies by planting feverfew, lemon balm, parsley, and zinnias in your home garden. This is biological pest control at its easiest!

Lady Bugs or Lady Beetles

Lady Bugs are the best source of natural pest control for a garden. These cute and safe-for-humans insects have a voracious appetite and will feed on a wide variety of destructive common garden pests. Lady Bugs love aphids and I am so glad they do!!!

Aphids literally sucks the juice and life out of many plants. Learning how to naturally control these pests is a huge step.

Ladybugs can be purchased from any garden supply center or they can be attracted naturally by planting some of their favorite food plants.

Plant some Basket of Gold yarrow, carpet bugleweed, dill, or coriander in your garden and the beneficial Lady bugs will come.

Jump down a couple of paragraphs to learn how to safely wash aphids off your plants.

Washing aphids off your plants in conjunction with encouraging a healthy Lady Bug populations is a powerful means of controlling these destructive pests.

Rough Mulch

Ashes from the fireplace, diatomaceous earth, pine needles, crushed eggshells, nut hulls or coffee grounds added on top of garden soil repel slugs, snails, and other creeping things.

The rough texture of these organic mulch items deters many common garden pests. See how to properly set up a simple way to control cutworms with wood ashes.

Wash Pests Away

Some common garden pests, like aphids, can be blasted off with water from the hose. Some pests and diseases are slightly more stubborn, like black spot and powdery mildew, and need more than water before they will leave.

Here is a simple recipe for an all-purpose organic garden pest control spray.

Homemade Natural Insecticide Recipe

To make this natural pest control spray: Mix 1-tablespoon of baking soda and 1-tablespoon of liquid dish soap in a gallon of warm water. Pour mix in a spray bottle and spray on plants that have a pest infestation.

Just be very careful with DIY soapy spray as some soaps or detergents can be toxic to beneficial bugs like ladybugs or as some call them lady beetles. If in doubt, use something a commercially prepared insecticidal soap.

Make sure to spray both the top and bottom of leaves. Repeat every 7-days until pests are completely gone. This is an easy-to-make homemade bug spray for outdoor plants both flowers and vegetables.

Organic Pesticides

If all else fails, then take a look at some of these organic pesticides to use in your gardens.

That’s a Wrap on Simple but Natural Pest Control

I hope this gives you some easy-to-do ideas on how to protect your plants and crops from nasty pests. bugs fast and even prevent them from returning by using some of these methods for controlling common garden pests.

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