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Sustainable Pest Control

             There are many pests to a garden, ranging from aphids to weeds. Here are some tips to help keep them out of your garden and away from your animals.

             Aphids - Ladybug larvae are the natural predators of aphids and really easy to encourage in your garden. Create a ladybug house near your garden, click here for plans, then order ladybugs online. Plant some mint or lemon balm nearby they love it. Worm compost can also cut down on the damage caused by aphids.

             Beetles - Chickens or ducks are great here. You can out them in a chicken tractor or let them run around awhile after your garden is established. Also if they are Japanese beetles plant some garlic nearby (but not near beans or peas) and they will repel the beetles. Also remember some beetles are good for your garden, they eat any ground creepy crawly things.

             Caterpillars - Attract Hover flies and Robber flies by planting various mints or catnip and chamomile or daisies.

             Deer - There are plants that deer won’t eat, plant those outside of your garden. Put a five foot fence around your garden and then three feet in front of that put stakes with wire strung about a foot off the ground. They can’t clear the whole thing when they jump so it keeps the out of your garden. I have also known people that put up five foot fences and then planted hedges of thick bushes like blackberry or raspberry.

             Dogs - Not commonly thought of as a garden pest, but after having my small initial garden torn up three times by a digging dog I would have to say consider fencing. If you don’t like that option you can put a radio fence around any area you want your dog to stay out of and the coordinating collar will beep and then shock them if they go after your goods.

             Goats - Anyone who has ever raised goats know that they love your garden. My goats loved my strawberry plants, corn and salad greens the best. Anyway,  if you have goats you must have a very sturdy fence. We use welded wire pig fencing panels it keeps them out but know they will eat any plant that grows through or close enough to the fencing. Try planting things they don’t like near the borders of your garden like oregano or parsley. We had a volunteer pumpkin plant that grew up and over and through our fence and they left that alone. Check out our goat page for more info.

             Mice/ Rats - I actually read a book that suggested putting a python in your garden for rat and mouse control. I couldn’t quite stomach that, but I found that building an owl house, click here for plans, and putting it near your garden and getting a cat work well.

             Mosquitoes - Not really a garden pest but a pest none the less. Build bat houses, click here for plans. Each bat eats up to 600 mosquitoes an hour! Bats also eat other noxious garden pests.

             Raccoons - Raccoons love melons and they always pick them the night before you were going to pick them. Live traps or an electric fence installed 4-6 inches above the ground will help. Many suburban farmers won’t have raccoon issues. Cross your fingers you won’t either. If you are putting up a high fence to keep out deer or other creatures you can add the electric wire to the top of the fence.

             Skunks - Skunks are similar to raccoons. I suggest live trapping or the electric wire fence. A good dog will also keep the skunks at bay.

             Snails - while some predatory snails are good, others will eat your precious plants. Buy some decollate snails online to gobble them up. I have heard that beer in a shallow dish at the base of your plant works but it wasn’t effective when I tried it.

             Slugs - Ducks love slugs, you can let them run around an established garden for a couple hours each day or you can put them in a small run in your garden, click here for plans. but you can also import the decollate snails to eat slugs.

             Weeds - The best weed remedy we have ever found is to let pigs live where you want to plant your garden for about six months prior to planting. They will eat anything that sprouts and dig up all the roots, therefore only the seeds you plant will grow. You can use the same concept with chickens or rabbits but move their coop at least a month and preferable two before you plant so that the manure gets a chance to cool down. Chickens also won’t get the roots of the plants but they will get a lot of the seeds and all the sprouts. If you aren’t up for pigs then chickens or rabbits can be another choice.

By not planting your plants in rows but in small blocks you are mimicking nature keeping more moisture in the ground.

How to keep the critters at bay

In an earth conscious way

The Suburban Home Farm

Timely Information and Support for the

Urban and Suburban Home Farmer.