5 Unique Ways to Deter Pests From Your Garden
There comes a time in the growing season when all the pests seem to have arrived, and we feel like we’re part of an endless cat-and-mouse game of chase. Join organic farmer Jenna Rich as she shares five unique ways to deter pests from the garden so you can enjoy all the fruits of your labor.
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Growing food and fighting off pests go hand in hand. But they don’t have to! There are creative ways to keep damaging insects away. The steps you take today can create an inviting haven in your backyard that encourages beneficials to stay awhile and damaging critters to keep away.
Combining forces with Mother Nature instead of fighting it can create a magical habitat that allows us to grow food and flowers without the stress and heartache of losing crops to pest damage.
Here are six unique ways to deter pests. With these, you can rest easy, knowing your most desired fruits and veggies will stay safe.
Strategic Plantings of Trap Crops
After years of battling with early-season cucumber beetles and squash bugs decimating our cucumbers, summer squash, and zucchini, I finally sowed Blue Hubbard squash. I let it establish early. I planted it out near the future squash and cucumber patches, so when it came time to transplant them, the Blue Hubbards were much larger.
When the cucumber beetles began to hatch out, all our precious cucumbers were protected under insect netting, inaccessible to munch on. We scouted for bugs and eggs every morning and squashed any we saw on the Blue Hubbard plants. The remaining beetles flew off to a different farm because of the lack of food.
Once we removed the insect netting from the cucumbers, they were well-established enough to tolerate some damage. The plants remained healthy and high-yielding since the beetle and bug populations were very low.
If you’re new to trap cropping, you may wonder why you would plant something nearby that attracts a pest. Imagine you’re hungry, and there are two options nearby. One is the most delicious dish you only dream of, and the other is a bland dish you eat regularly. I bet you’d choose the delicious one, and the cucumber beetles did, too!
Experts have been trialing Perimeter Trap Cropping (PTC) globally with various vegetable combinations with much success. It involves creating a barrier of more desirable crops to block pests from reaching the center of a bed, which contains your most valuable crop. Up to 94% of pests will likely be along the perimeter, and PTC will help keep them there.
Other successful trap crops:
- Nasturtiums and radishes will attract flea beetles.
- Use calendula to trap aphids.
- Trap cabbage worms with collard greens or delicate Asian greens to protect brassicas.
- Ants and stink bugs are attracted to sunflowers.
Pro tip: Continue to scout the trap crops and destroy pests as they arise. Failure to do so will cause them to destroy the trap crop and move on to your more valuable crops.
Plant Repelling and Attracting Herbs and Flowers
Similar in effectiveness to trap cropping, planting strongly scented herbs and flowers can help deter pests by confusing or disgusting them. The good news is, some of these may be items you planned to grow anyway! Here are a few:
Basil
Plant this alongside your carrots to deter carrot flies, and with tomatoes to prevent the tomato hornworm.
Rosemary
Experts believe rosemary repels the dreaded cabbage moth, one of the most destructive pests. It may also keep away aphids and carrot flies, so place it strategically.
Mint
While I love the fresh scent a warm breeze brings when mint is nearby, most animals detest it. Mice, some flies, spiders, fleas, and ants don’t appreciate mint. Plant it in pots so it doesn’t take over, and move it around as needed for pest control.
Marigolds
Marigolds, with their chemical substance limonene, may help deter whiteflies and underground, root-damaging nematodes, especially if they’ve been growing in an area since the previous season. I always sow extra marigolds in the spring and plant them around my fields as a natural pest deterrent. I’ve created a fence line of them near newly planted fruit trees, raspberry bushes, beds of head lettuce, and brassicas.
Lemongrass
This powerful herb is like citronella and will help keep away mice, rats, ants, and ticks. Harvest it for homemade curries, broths, and marinades.
Alliums
You can never have too many alliums around to help repel deer, rabbits, and mice. But did you know they may also keep carrot flies, cabbage worms, and aphids away? Use these as an effective PTC or companion plant for brassicas, tomatoes, and carrots. Look for perennial alliums for year-round beauty.
Lavender
On warm, sunny days, lavender releases the chemical camphor, effectively repelling mosquitoes, fleas, flies, moths, deer, and ground critters. This gorgeous plant also attracts pollinators like bees and butterflies.
Nasturtium
The spicy scent of nasturtiums may confuse pests like the dreaded Colorado Potato Beetle, causing them to fly away from your beloved potato plants. Nasturtiums also attract beneficial insects like ladybugs and lacewings and can serve as a trap crop, reducing damage to your cash crops. Lacewings will keep whitefly populations down, while ladybugs will feast on aphids. Select a trailing variety and place it in a window box nearby, or plant a bush variety along the edges of your beds.
Catmint
This lovely herbaceous plant will attract hummingbirds, butterflies, bees, lacewings, and ladybugs, potent pollinators and predators of gnats, aphids, aunts, weevils, mosquitoes, and other egg larvae.
Chrysanthemum
If you have issues with roaches, ants, spider mites, or Japanese beetles, place this throughout your garden or as a PTC. Chrysanthemums contain pyrethrum, a natural pesticide that helps keep these pests away.
In addition to plant repellents, try proven scientific-backed companion planting to help deter pests, increase yields, and keep plants healthy. Here are some of our favorite highly effective companions.
Use Physical Barriers
Tried and true, row cover and insect netting protect crops from pests and reduce damage. Row cover is best used during the cooler months of spring and fall. Otherwise, lightweight and breathable insect netting is encouraged.
If you’re willing to invest in insect netting, it’s easily accessible and highly effective. Use netting with or without hoops and weight bags and ensure the entire crop is covered. Leave headspace on highly sought-after crops like kale and broccoli. Bugs may lay eggs through the netting if it sits directly on the plant. Daisy-chain and store the netting in a container with a lid during the off-season to avoid damage. Repair any tears and holes before using it next season.
Pro tip: Look for self-pollinating cultivars if you experience severe issues while bulking up your army of beneficial insects. The plants won’t need to be freed from insect netting and will still provide you ample yields without insect pollination!
Delayed Plantings
This method is so simple it’s almost unbelievable when it’s effective. Most insects have a regular and reasonably predictable life cycle. If you’ve been gardening for some time, you likely have mental notes of when certain pests start to show their faces.
Pests that overwinter in the soil intentionally choose your space because they recognize the abundance of available food in the fall. Imagine their confusion when they emerge in the spring or summer and find there is nothing for them to feast on. They may feed on a few less palatable crops before moving onto someone else’s yard, but a few days can make all the difference if you can hold off on transplanting.
For example, if you typically plant the first round of cucumbers in late April, but they get destroyed by cucumber beetles, try delaying the planting by six to eight days. Take note of the results and adjust the dates as needed. If you let the plants get established, they will tolerate more damage than if they were newly transplanted and small.
Pro tip: Combine delayed planting and a physical barrier by covering the plants with insect netting to really keep pests away. Remove the netting when flowering begins to allow pollination, or select parthenocarpic cultivars, which are self-pollinating and produce only female flowers.
Attract Beneficial Insects
Not all insects are pests. You want to attract many beneficial insects to help you organically control the ecosystem. If you have an unused corner, devote the space to create an insectary area to lure these insects in, lay eggs, and raise their brood here. If there is enough food for predators like ladybugs, lacewings, and hoverflies, they’ll stick around and raise many generations of these helpful creatures, allowing you to reap the benefits.
Leave these areas to stay wild and remain dense. Don’t mow or disturb them much so they’ll feel safe and as close to their natural habitat as you can create. Transitioning to no-till gardening may help and has many additional benefits, including soil health, weed control, moisture retention, and reduced erosion. Provide a clean water source, build nest boxes, leave piles of brush around, and avoid spraying chemical pesticides.
Include natives like milkweed, goldenrod, and yarrow and powerhouses like alyssum, phacelia, marigolds, salvia, and bee balm. Diversification of root systems and plant types will attract a wide range of beneficial insects, so worry less about neat rows of reds and pinks and embrace the wildness of a mixed-bag garden.
Key Takeaways
- Trap crop and allow nature to do some of the work for you.
- Trust the science of companion planting.
- Plant herbs and strongly-scented flowers to deter pests while attracting beneficial insects.
- To avoid the first round of damaging pests, try delaying your plantings of highly sought-after plants like summer squash, tomatoes, and cucumbers.
- Utilize physical barriers as plants establish or seek out parthenocarpic cultivars.
