Out Damned Pest!

Natural Ways to De-bug Your Garden

( by Ramona Scarbourgh) 

Shakespeare probably had trouble with bugs. After all, he lived in an era of monthly or less baths, no wash machines, and drafty stone houses. His writings however, do not divulge how he might have gotten rid of pests by natural means, but mine will.

Fast forward to our so-called enlightened modern age. Chemicals guaranteed to eradicate bugs from the earth were liberally sprayed, sprinkled and poured. Less bugs for sure, but the side effects were devastating. The balance of nature was being messed with. Animals and people ended up with these poisons in their systems.

Some people have decided they want to "go green" but when they see their garden vegetables being chewed to bits by some hungry grubs, they are sure they don't want to pick them off by hand when this "charge of the ‘night' brigade" appears. Here some more pleasant alternatives for working with nature rather than against it.

1. Send out invitations to birds. Buy or build birdhouses. (If you build them, they will come) Make bathing arrangements. Birds will outdo Shakespeare in the bathing department. These beautiful bug catchers will amuse you and even serenade you.

2. Plant "no trespassing" marigolds around the perimeter of your garden. Bugs hate the smell. Aphids detest lupine.

3. Got slugs? Take a plastic butter container, fill with beer, make holes in the top, bury in the ground. You have created the tavern of no return. Strain out the dead slugs and dispose.

4. If your problem is multi-legged shelled bugs, sprinkle a protective circle of talcum powder around your plants.

5. Realize that that some insects are beneficial to your garden. Plant come hither flowers for bees, unless stings necessitate trips to the hospital for you or loved ones. Black beetles, pill bugs and even earwigs are natural cleaners. Some gardeners even import. praying mantis that do another type of "preying" on unwanted pests.

6. If your garden looks like its been hit by the 10 plagues, rush to a local garden supplier and ask for BT. (The proper name is way too long and complicated.) They will know what you mean. This natural microorganism will eat up the larvae before they turn into mosquitoes and anything else in their way.(but NOT your vegetables)

You are now in some ways smarter than Shakespeare. If you have any more practical natural ways to rid our gardens of pests without drenching them with pesticides, send an E-mail to us!