Raising vegetables help families save money on groceries. Growing your own vegetable garden also gives you the freshest possible foods to eat. Many gardeners do not like to use chemicals on their plants to get rid of bugs -- especially in the case of edibles. Choose instead to find natural ways to repel bugs and keep them from damaging or destroying your crop. Does this Spark an idea?
Herbs
Add herbs to your vegetable garden to help repel bugs. Peppermint, basil and lavender are all natural bug repellents. Basil helps to repel thrips; peppermint repels cabbage moths, flea beetles and aphids; and lavender repels moths and fleas. Plant these within the garden plot or plant them in pots and place them around the outside of your garden. Move the pots around to keep bugs and other pests, such as rabbits and deer out of your vegetable garden as well. If your garden is small or your vegetable plants are in containers, sprinkle a little ginger, cayenne or black pepper on your plants.
Homemade Remedies
Make any one of several homemade remedies that help keep the bugs away. Mix 1 cup vegetable oil, 1 tbsp. fresh chopped garlic and 2 tbsp. dish soap for a solution to keep bugs off the plants without using chemicals. Add 2 tbsp. of the mixture to a spray bottle, fill the bottle with water and swirl to blend. Spray the leaves of your plants to keep bugs from eating them. Spray once a week or after it rains. Garlic sprays repel spider mites, aphids and mealy bugs.
Flowers
Plant some flowers in and around your vegetable garden to help keep bugs away from your vegetables. A couple of the flowers that insects do not like are mums and marigolds, which deter beetles and nematodes. If these are planted around the perimeter of your garden, bugs usually won't fly past them. One of the good things about using flowers is that bugs do not build up immunity to them. Not only will mums and marigolds keep bugs out of your garden, but they add an aesthetic value as well.
Commercial Pesticides
There are many commercial bug repellents on the market. If you do choose to use a commercial bug repellent, make sure to read the package. Be sure that the formula is safe for vegetable plants. Read the instructions before using, as some pesticides are applied around the roots of the plant while others are sprinkled on the leaves.
Tags: keep bugs, your vegetable, vegetable garden, your garden, your vegetable garden, bugs away