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Beginners Gardening Guide #4 : How to Keep Pests Out of Your Garden


Pests come in many shapes and sizes, and it takes different tactics and techniques to keep each category from ruining your hard work and the beauty of your garden, or enjoying the fruits of your labors before you can get to them. Here’s a list of common pests and effective ways to keep them out of your garden.

1. Cats and rodents: Sprinkle moth balls around the perimeter of the garden to keep these critters out. Raking a mixture of coffee grounds and orange peels into the soil will keep cats from using it as a litter box.

2. Birds: Our feathered friends are tough ones to keep out of berry bushes and other treats they find to their liking, like ripening sun flowers. Scarecrows will work for a short period of time, but birds will eventually get used to them, and pretty soon pay them no attention. Some gardeners find success by tying plastic shopping bags to poles around the garden, with the rustling they make when blown by the wind causing birds to scatter. This technique works well for keeping deer out of the garden, too. Since gardeners are often bird lovers, many suggest simply planting a few extra bushes so that there’s enough for everyone, people and winged creatures alike. If you’re not in the mood to share, get to bushes early in the morning, to pick the ripe berries ahead of the birds, since they generally won’t bother unripe fruit.

3. Deer: In addition to the shopping bags, try Christmas lights to keep deer away. Chemical sprays leave scents that might also keep deer and other herbivores from eating your tasty veggies and flowers. If deer, raccoons, rabbits, and other larger mammals continue to wreak havoc in your garden, fencing it with chicken wire or cattle wire might be your only option.

4. Mosquitoes: While these pests won’t harm plants, they will certainly bother you! Keep them to a minimum in your yard and garden by eliminating places where water accumulates, providing the necessary environment for them to lay their eggs. Fill in low spots that hold water. Keep empty buckets in the shed or garage, or at least turn them upside down, so water doesn’t fill them. Old tires, loose garbage bags, wagons, and other items that will hold water should be removed. Where you cannot eliminate standing water, mix in a generous amount of dish soap, which will serve to kill the eggs.

5. Insects: Sprays found at your local gardening center or online gardening retailer work well to eliminate insects. A good DIY remedy consists of mixing 3-5 tablespoons of dish soap in a gallon of water which can be sprayed on plants to prevent aphids, spider mites, and other pests from taking up residence. To remove insects already present, mix ½ cup buttermilk with 5 cups of flour, and add to 4 gallons of water. Shake up the mixture and pour it onto infected plants.

Mixing one tablespoon of cayenne pepper with 3 gallons of water, sprinkled on the ground, will keep spiders, cabbage worms, caterpillars, and ants at bay. A couple of tablespoons of black pepper mixed with a quart of flower, and used to dust the ground around perennials will keep pests from pestering them.

The good news is that pests are not a major problem in most gardens, and with precaution and effective cures, they won’t spoil your flowers and vegetables, or your happiness when out among you growing things.

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