Survival Gardening: Natural Defenses Against Pests

Survival Gardening: Natural Defenses Against Pests

(SurvivalDaily.com) – Having your own garden gives you the ability to grow your own food. However, there’s more to growing a garden than just planting some seeds and watering them. You need to be able to keep away destructive pests, otherwise, you’ll have nothing left for you.

Pests to Expect

When growing a garden you can expect to have some unwanted visitors who don’t have any manners and can destroy your garden overnight. While some wait for your crops to grow, others may eat your plants before they grow large enough to produce. There are several pesky critters that could take advantage of your garden. Many pests are of insect nature. Though, rodents are also common garden intruders.

Some common rodents are: mice, moles, rabbits, squirrels, and even those “oh so cute” chipmunks.

How to Stop Them

Not everyone wants to spend a bunch of money on pesticides; honestly, not many people want to consume them either. Luckily for you, there are natural options to put an end to those garden vandals. Don’t worry, these plants act as a deterrent, not a method of killing anything. Well sometimes…

Fencing

Probably the easiest and most straightforward method of keeping unwanted guests out is fencing. At least this is true when it comes to rodents; it’s not going to do much against insects.

Mint

It could be cotton balls soaked in peppermint oil scattered around the garden. Or, it could be actually placing potted mint plants strategically around your garden. Either way, rodents don’t like the smell. Oddly enough, neither do spiders.

A Predator

This is where that “well sometimes” comes into play. What better way to fend off garden invaders than using nature against itself? Typically the rodents trashing your garden are on the smaller side, namely mice. Cats are a great natural predator, without the risk of being eaten yourself.

Instant potatoes can be used as well. Though, it’s not ideal for many people; it seems kind of cruel and inhumane. The rodent will eat the instant potatoes, which then expands inside of their stomach. They’ll go for water and likely die.

Grasshoppers are a problem for your garden too. They can prove to be very destructive to plants. Some good ways to keep them at bay are:

  • Flour dusting: grasshoppers’ mouths will become gummed up and they will need to leave in search of water.
  • Grass trap: if you have the ability to let grass grow in an area close to your garden, let it. Grasshoppers love tall grass and will flock to it, keeping them out of your garden and easier to trap.
  • Predators: once again nature takes care of nature. Birds love to eat grasshoppers; introduce them to the garden. Birdbaths are another great way to attract birds. Be careful as birds enjoy some crops too, like berries, so this isn’t always an option.

Final Thoughts

There are numerous ways to defend your garden against pests. Some work better than others. Use any of the methods you can, or a combination of them. You don’t have to stop at your garden either. You can defend your yard naturally with plants and predators. Moles are notorious for destroying yards. Thankfully, you can plant daffodils and marigolds to prevent this, adding color to your yard at the same time.

Mosquitoes and other bugs can be annoying when you’re trying to enjoy the outdoors. Citronella grass, lavender, and mint can all help repel mosquitoes, letting you enjoy your yard in peace. There’s no need for harmful chemicals; nature has its own defenses, why not use them?

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