Organic Pesticides and Pest Control

The careful use of organic pesticides can be quite a challenge when you take up organic gardening.

Organic gardeners like ordinary gardeners are in a continual competition as to who or what will eat the vegetables and fruits first - the bugs and pests, and intruding animals or the gardener and his family.

Protecting Your Organic Garden

Unlike the gardener who can use pesticides, the organic gardener, because of his philosophy and lifestyle must use different, more environmentally friendly ways to deal with this 'pest' problem like--

• Allowing for an acceptable level of pest damage
• Encouraging predatory beneficial insects to flourish and eat pests
• Encouraging beneficial microorganisms
• Careful plant selection, choosing disease-resistant varieties
• Planting companion crops that discourage or divert pests
• Using row covers to protect crop plants during pest migration periods
• Rotating crops to different locations from year to year to interrupt pest reproduction cycles
• Using insect traps to monitor and control insect populations

Beneficial bugs like ladybugs or green fly will eat some of the harmful bugs.

Encourage some new found friends like birds and bats, and spiders and lizards and even frogs and toads. These 'friends' will be happy to eat some of the insect pests. Don't forget though that what kills the bad can also kill the good, so be careful. In some cases you might have to resort to a few hand picking afternoons.

Unwanted animals and insects are sometimes a challenge - chicken wire won't stop an elephant, bear or even a deer, or kangaroo, but it might be effective against rabbits and smaller animals. You might have to build a fence! And don't forget the scarecrow.

This is all about balance, just like nature itself.

In the mean time encourage balance with such things as using Thai lemon grass to help get rid of mosquitoes, and cucumbers to keep the ant population manageable.

Don't forget that good housekeeping will held to prevent the spread of bacteria, fungus and some viral garden problems, so keep the garden clean by removing rubbish where bugs can breed and diseased plants can survive through the winter months.

There are lots of organic insecticide solutions that will keep the bugs at bay while your garden stays healthy.

Enjoy Your Organic Garden

Organic Gardening is enjoyable, healthy, you get exercise, and you can do something unique and different with the kids.

Why not take a vacation in your backyard, grow your own vegetables and enjoy the benefits of pesticide free, cheap food that tastes better than the commercial product, and is more nutritious.

Why not choose an organic lifestyle your body will love you for it.

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