One of the most frustrating problems that organic vegetable gardens have is pests. Organic vegetable gardens are more prone to pest infestation simply because chemicals and pesticides are not used in controlling their population. Without artificial pest control products, controlling pest infestation is going to be much harder. Not only is it going to be very time consuming, but it’s going to be very back-breaking as well. However, it can be done. You can control pest population through organic and natural means.

Choose New Plants Carefully

If you’re going to buy new plants from a nursery, you have to check it thoroughly first before making any purchase and bringing them home. You don’t want to introduce pests into your garden, and you most definitely don’t want to introduce sickly and diseased plants. Yes, they may look healthy at first glance, but if you don’t know what to look out for, then you might end up with a pest-infested organic vegetable garden. The new plants might also infect your healthy crops.

For this reason, examine the plants at the nursery carefully before purchasing them. Look at the leaves and make sure there are no dead spots. See to it, too, that the stems are not rotted and that they’re not carrying any insects.

In addition to these, it will also be very beneficial for you if you examine their roots thoroughly. See to it that they look firm and healthy. White roots usually mean healthy plants; while dark and spongy roots mean unhealthy plants.

Encourage the Growth of Natural Predators

Chemical pest control products can eliminate pests in the garden. They can quickly and easily get rid of pestiferous insects that do significant damage to plants; however, they can also get rid of beneficial insects. Now, these beneficial insects and other animals are the natural predators of pests. They feed on them, control their population, and help keep them out of your vegetable garden. Since chemicals can also kill the natural predators, then what’s stopping pests from invading your garden again once the chemicals wear off?

If you don’t want to leave your organic vegetable garden defenseless, then encourage the growth of these natural predators. Don’t get rid of the bushes. Instead, only give them a good trimming once in a while so they can still provide home to natural predators. The same should also be done to trees. Trees provide homes to birds, which are also natural predators of pests.

Use Natural Pest Repellant Products

You can also repel pests by making use of natural and organic pest repellant sprays. You can make these homemade sprays by combining water and ingredients found in your kitchen. For example, oil and garlic spray works very well to kill aphids as well as cabbage moths. It can also get rid of mildew fungi. Alcohol and oil spray can also kill a number of pestiferous insects, and you can make this by mixing isopropyl alcohol, vegetable oil, and water.

There are so many recipes for homemade sprays that you can find online. But if the pest infestation of your organic vegetable garden is severe, then hiring a pest control company that offers green solutions is a very good idea.

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•  License: MBG Stock Image by Smart Photo Stock

Jennifer Dallman writes for a Peoria pest control company. Through this article, she hopes to teach readers how to care for their organic vegetable garden properly.