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One of the most challenging aspects of gardening is keeping pests at bay. From bugs that eat your plants, to squirrels and rabbits that dig up your vegetables, to destructive fungi that spread from plant to plant, your garden is vulnerable to a wide variety of pests. Using pesticides that are full of toxic chemicals makes your food less safe for you and your family and can harm the local environment, animals, and groundwater supply. The good news is that there are effective natural ways to control garden pests, without the use of harsh chemicals.

Keep Your Garden Healthy

The healthier your plants are, the less susceptible they’ll be to damage from insects and plant disease. Use good quality soil, water regularly (but avoid overwatering), add compost or mulch, and use organic fertilizer to give your garden a boost of nutrients.

Tidy Up Your Garden

The tidier your garden, the fewer places there will be for insects to breed and plant disease to take root. Get in the habit of regularly weeding and clearing away debris like branches and dead leaves.

Switch to Drip Irrigation

Wet leaves often succumb to mold, fungus, and disease. A great way to effectively water your garden without getting leaves, foliage, and flowers wet is to switch to a drip irrigation system. This will also cut down on the amount of time you have to spend watering, and lower your water costs since drip irrigation uses way less water.

Add Daisies

Daisies are not only pretty to look at, but they also attract ladybugs. This is beneficial because ladybugs repel mites, aphids and other small pests. They don’t take up much space, so you can easily mix them into your garden along with your veggies and herbs.

Use Non-toxic Soap Sprays

Most garden centers sell soap sprays that are completely non-toxic but do a great job of eliminating insects and other small pests. Soap sprays are great because they are completely safe for you and your family, but still work as effective insecticides.

Add Fencing

To keep larger pests like rabbits and squirrels out of your garden, you will need to add some wire fencing or mesh around the perimeter. Another good idea is to build or purchase a raised garden bed and add fencing around it. The combination of height and a fencing barrier will keep most animals out of your garden.

As you can see, all-natural pest control for your garden is easy and effective. [:]