One of the most satisfying and relaxing hobbies is gardening. Growing your own vegetables offers a lot of benefits. For one, you’re almost always assured of healthy food. This is especially true if you’re using organic methods in caring for your crops. Two, owning your own vegetable garden also allows you to save money. After all, you won’t have to purchase vegetables from your local grocery store, since you can simply pick them from your own garden. Three, gardening is a great way to boost your mood. The repetitive task can help reduce your stress, and when you see your vegetable garden flourishing, it can easily bring a smile to your face.
However, tending to your vegetable garden can also be a bit stressful. You have to protect it against the different weather conditions, and most importantly, you have to protect it against pests. If you don’t want to use pesticides, then here are some homemade pest barriers that you can do for your vegetable garden.
Homemade Plant Cover
Plant covers not only help retain the soil’s heat, but it can also help you a lot if you want to plant early. In addition to these, plant covers can also protect your plants from pestiferous insects as well as rodents.
In creating your own plant cover, all you will need are woven plastic and wooden frame. You can also make use of wire frame as well as muslin. Setting this up is easy if you have basic carpentry skills. You only have to build the frame and cover it with the muslin or the woven plastic. Once done, simply cover the plants you want protected and secure the entry points by placing weights over them. This can keep pestiferous pests and small rodents from damaging the plants.
Homemade Screen Cones
Cabbage is susceptible to maggots and other insect pests. If you want to protect the young plants from these pests, what you can do is to make homemade screen cones. These pest barriers work similarly to plant covers in such a way that you place the cone over the young plant, preventing pests from damaging the cabbage.
What you need are the same materials – a strip of wood and a woven plastic. Shape the woven plastic into a cone. See to it that it’s big enough to cover the plant without crowding it. Once done, secure the edges on the wood. You can simply pin the edges of the screen on the wood and secure it with small nails or staple it shut.
Screen cones can not only prevent maggots from chewing through the roots, but it can also prevent flies from laying their eggs on the plant. These eggs, when they hatch, become the maggots that attack the roots.
When to Call a Pest Control Company
These pest barrier methods are very effective in controlling the pest population in your vegetable garden. However, if these methods don’t work and your plants are unhealthy and/or dying, then maybe it’s time to call your local pest control company. Just see to it though that the company offers green services to get rid of insect pests, particularly since you don’t want toxic chemicals to contaminate your garden’s soil and plants.
Attached Images:
-  License: Creative Commons image source
Jennifer Dallman contributes articles to a number of pest control blogs, including http://www.preventivepestcontrol.com/ Owning a vegetable garden is very rewarding, but if your garden is infested with pestiferous insects, then be sure to get rid of them the organic and safe way.