Some of the best garden pest control solutions can be found in the garden itself. There are many plants with natural pest control properties, and beneficial insects to keep away the bad bugs.
If you’re interested in sustainable and environmentally friendly pest control for your garden, consider these options:
Pest-repelling plants
By planting the right combination of plants, you can let your garden do the pest control for you. Many plants have natural pest-repellent properties, while others can serve as decoy plants to draw bugs away from more vulnerable plants.
Some of the most popular bug-busting plants to include in your garden are:
- Catnip
- Mint
- Nasturtium
- Dill
- Marigolds
- Rosemary
- Lavender
These plants keep away garden pests like aphids, beetles, caterpillars, shield bugs and whiteflies. As a bonus, plants like marigolds and lavender also repel mosquitos. Consider planting these herbs and flowers around garden edges or anywhere else in your yard for natural pest control.
Beneficial bugs
Not all garden bugs are bad. In fact, there are many beneficial insects you want in your garden to keep the plants and soil healthy. Introducing natural predators to feast on garden pests is an excellent natural pest control method, and some of the best bugs for the job include:
- Ladybugs eat soft-bodied garden pests like aphids.
- Lacewings eat aphids, caterpillars, thrips, whiteflies, leafhoppers and scales.
- Spiders are natural predators in the garden and protect your plants from myriad pests including spider mites, aphids, caterpillar beetles and whiteflies.
Pest control is a key to healthy plants, but most garden pests can be controlled by the garden and its natural denizens. Knowing which plants and which insects are allies in your pest control endeavors will help you maintain a healthy garden without synthetic sprays or pesticides.
About the Author
Carolyn Andrews
Carolyn Andrews has over 30 years licensed Brokerage experience in both California and Colorado. Born in England, Carolyn moved to California in 1980, then relocated to Denver, Colorado in 1991. Carolyn has also received recognition for Top Sales at RE/MAX Alliance Aurora in 2007-2008 and is a member of the RE/MAX Hall of Fame & Chairman’s Club, as well as a recipient of the ReMax Lifetime Achievement Award. Carolyn has sold over 2000 homes personally in her career. Carolyn has been actively involved in many aspects of the Real Estate business including investment property, luxury homes, mountain resort property, skiin/ski out, REO/default management, loss mitigation, valuations, and disposition. She has been a speaker and panelist at several conferences and has been consulted on many occasions by various organizations in the REO/financial industries for her expertise and served on many boards. She has attended numerous ongoing classes to stay abreast of changes in the ever-evolving Real Estate industry. She is the prior State Director for Colorado for VAREP(Veterans Association of Real Estate Professionals). She is a member of 3 boards of Realtors including Metro Denver, Colorado Springs and Summit County mountain areas. She heads up The Andrews Group and is or has been an active member of NAR, CAR,REOMAC, CIPS, CRS, AREAA, NAPW, NAHREP, and is an original member of the ELITEReal Estate network. She was ranked #1 for most homes sold in Denver 2007 by Denver Board of Realtors, #2 for 2008, and #2 for 2009, #5 in 2010 and #4 in 2011 and has been consistently in the top 10 ever since. Carolyn Andrews has been a top rated Endorsed Local Provider for the Dave Ramsey Organization and also a Top Producing agent for 2018 for the Homelight Company.
