5 Ways to Mitigate Garden Pests While Maintaining an Organic Certified Status

Managing a garden comes with its challenges today, working hard to bring your crop to fruition while combatting the natural enemies that lurk on the plants and beneath the soil. Worms, beetles, fungus, microbe, and other kinds of aggressive bugs are naturally inclined to take on your planted species, which is why winning the ecological battle can seem difficult – especially if you’re trying to maintain an organic gardening status throughout the process.

One of the easiest ways to fight against pests today is with pesticides, also known as the chemicals that kill pests or disrupt pest populations. Pesticides can be used on a large scale to cover and protect crops before pests have a chance to soil them. However, not all pesticides are environmentally damaging and destructively toxic. You can uphold your organic certified status and use organic pesticides for support.

Organic pesticides, including rotenone, pyrethrum, nicotine, neem oil, and all of the botanical pesticides, are products of living organisms, acting as chemicals that plants use to protect themselves from aggressors.

Here are a few organic ways, including pesticides and natural tricks, to protect your garden this spring:

1. The Bug Trap. Take an empty bottle, fill it with one cup of apple cider vinegar and one cup of sugar. Slice up a banana peel into tiny pieces, add to the bottle, and shake with one added cup of cold water. Hang the bottle from a nearby tree branch, and watch the pests flock to it.
2. Companion Plants. Try the companion plant technique, like basil, sage, and marigold, planting them near your crops to lure the pests away.
3. Organic Pesticides. Administer nicotine, neem oil, plant sterols, or any botanical pesticide onto and around your garden to protect your crops while keeping the whole thing totally organic.
4. Essential Oils. Part of the botanical pesticide group, essential oils like peppermint oil, clove oil, citrus oils, lavender oil, thyme oil, and rosemary oil will effectively keep bugs and pests at bay.
5. You can make your very own bug-repellent at home without all of the harmful chemicals. Mix several cloves of crushed garlic, ¼ cup of canola oil, 3 tablespoons of hot pepper sauce, and ½ teaspoon of liquid soap in one gallon of water. Mix together for 5-minutes, then place into a bottle with a spritzer lid. Apply to plants as you deem appropriate.

Your Organic Garden

Organic gardening is regarded as gardening without synthetic fertilizers and pesticides today. To us, it’s much more than that – it’s a philosophy of gardening that supports the health of the entire ecosystem. It’s investing in the environment while using its resources to our benefit at the same time. It’s possible to protect your garden and keep it organically certified while thwarting pesky pests this spring. Try these 5 suggestions to revolutionize your gardening experience.