There are multiple products labeled to kill pests in your vegetable garden. Take the example of flea beetles, which chew tiny holes in the leaves of brassicas. You can interplant different vegetables, or mix up vegetables with herbs or flowers to create a more diverse – and confusing – planting scheme. Integrated pest management (IPM) can be used for controlling garden pests and diseases in the vegetable garden. Learning how to prevent pests from invading your garden is essential for all gardeners. Those fallen fruits become a beacon for hungry pests, looking for an easy meal. It might seem hard to remember these tips, but most involve keeping your soil and garden healthy. Spend a little time researching seed catalogs for suitable varieties to reduce pest problems later on. Here are some good options. This goes against the common task of tilling in the spring. If you need help designing your vegetable garden, try our Vegetable Garden Planner. It’s essential that you select varieties resistant to pests in your regional area. With proper cultivation and gardening methods, this problem can be drastically reduced before having to resort to other methods. Some insects that call your garden home are beneficial, and they prey on the pests that might damage your plants. If you’re looking to grow a vegetable garden, it’s best to take early steps to prevent pests from invading and continuously maintain a pest free garden. Keeping pests out of vegetable gardens is a season-long chore, but you can make your job much easier by setting your garden up for success. Stress-free plants have their own pest defenses which more often than not allow them to see off pests without help from us. Take time to pick up fallen fruit, so your garden doesn’t look like an all-you-can-eat buffet. So, if you miss some fruits, that’s no big deal, but make sure you clean up any fallen fruits. Growing up, my family had a small garden every year. … Pests are a common challenge but that doesn’t mean they need to gain the upper hand. (We won't display this on the website or use it for marketing), (Please enter the code above to help prevent spam on this article), Balancing Good and Bad Insects Using Flowers. Let’s look at how to prevent pests in your garden. Cover bare earth with mulch or a living ground cover. Keep your soil covered at all times, or weeds appear, and soil erosion takes place. Those pesky pests keep us on our toes don’t they! Without a doubt, one of the most important things to do to prevent pests in your garden is to use crop rotation. Otherwise, you’ll be the last to know that you have an infestation problem on your hands. Second, pests also love tightly planted crops because they provide shelter, warmth, and cover from predators. Written by efraim. When they see all their favorite plants in one area, they will gravitate towards it, consuming and damaging your crops. Plant in the right place. Posted on September 29, 2020 October 5, 2020; Comment; Greenhouse Gardening can be a good hobby but one that can also be a problem. Then, we have the problem of pesticide sprays. Grow carrots and cabbage family crops in pots at least 18in (45cm) above ground, well out of the way of low-flying carrot flies and cabbage root flies. 5. Covers are a great solution for caterpillar-prone brassicas and for barring entry to the likes of carrot fly, aphids and squash bugs. Doing so keeps the plants out of the reach of low-flying pests as well as soil-borne pests. Here’s another trick to prevent pests from finding your crops – physically keep them away from the pests. This prevents any scale from falling into your soil. Some insects are carnivores … You can put these plants in the corners of your garden beds, in pots throughout your garden, or create rows of herbs as borders. Overcrowding plants is a huge no-no. As with all things in nature, there is a balance. Healthy soil means healthy plants. Grow them among or immediately next to your vegetables for maximum impact. Find out how to identify and get rid of these common pests We all have to … Sturdy Fences Make Good Neighbors. Throughout the growing season, keep your garden areas clean of debris to discourage any pests from moving in. Producing the perfect tomato means gardeners have to keep an eye out for insects and any sign of a pest problem. Larger garden pests, such as … Neem oil acts as an effective natural pesticide on over 200 species of insects. Creating a plan is useful; draw it out each year to avoid overlapping and make it easier for you to understand the process. Want to protect your precious plants and crops from unwanted garden pests? You might consider dumping these items away from your garden, to attract pests to a different area. Prevention is always easier than trying to stop pests that are already infesting your plants. Are they safer? Tightly planted crops have several problems. Their activity peaks in midsummer. You can also plant before a pest arrives. Grow Resistant Varieties. Potato bug duty, my least favorite gardening chore. Required fields are marked *. Here are some easy tips. Water in the Morning. How do you create healthy soil? We know that using pesticides is toxic to our soil health and the plants themselves. Allow covers to rest on the plants or support them on hoops. Raised pots also reduce problems with slugs and other soil-dwelling pests. If you don’t want to use containers, try taller raised beds. Examples of beneficial insects are ladybugs, lady beetles, lacewings, minute pirate bugs, parasitic wasps, and damsel bugs. One of the easiest ways to prevent pests in your garden is to pick plant varieties that are naturally resistant to common pests in your area. Make good use of barriers to physically separate pests from plants. For example, cover your cabbage seedlings with a row cover to prevent cabbage moths or cabbage butterflies from laying eggs on the plants. Weak plants are an easy invitation for pests to visit. Use Pest Resistant Methods When Planting Vegetables. Pests are less likely to prey on your vegetables and plants if you keep the plants healthy. That myth is wrong, and all gardeners need to use crop rotation to their advantage to avoid pests. If, for some reason, planting close is your only option, check for pests more frequently. Avoid using any sort of chemicals that might destroy the healthy organisms and microbes. Provide habitats for insects to lay their eggs nearby, allowing them to grow and pollinate throughout your garden. This will also allow excess moisture to drain away from vulnerable roots. Some pests overwinter in the soil, so if you plant their favorite snack in the same place next year, they wake up starving. The debris is a good … Killing beneficial insects and organisms damages your garden, as well as laters the pH balance of the soil. Make sure you use a summer weight row cover that allows water and light to penetrate while keeping pests out. Take a look at some of the best methods for preventing pests in your garden. Run your fingers along the stems and plant leaves, turning up the scale with your fingernails. Pests hatch their families in your crops, and you never are the wisest because you cannot see them. Companion planting is the practice of putting specific plants alongside each other to promote healthy growth. A new piece of property, fertile soil, and lots of sun and water is all you should need for a successful vegetable garden. They have taken over our farm. Keeping a home vegetable garden pest free can be quite the task. Pests in your garden can be very obvious or can be hidden in the soil or amongst the plants. ), By clicking 'Add Comment' you agree to our Terms and Conditions, "I'm afraid I have a pest there is no answer for...it's the Vole. Place a plastic bag or some covering around the soil of your plant. Our first strategy is to make life easier for yourself by selecting varieties that are known to have some resistance to common pests. Keeping a garden free of tomato pests without the use of harmful chemicals is challenging. This confuses passing pests because they will find it harder to home in on their preferred crop. Last, falling behind on your harvest is generally not an issue unless they start to fall off the plants, landing on the soil. A cover crop stops weed growth and feeds your soil at the same time. 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