Natural Garden Care

by Katie

Spring has arrived, the snow is gone and the flowers have started to poke their heads through the earth so now is the time to start to think of ways to protect them and yourself from insects and rodents. You don't need to grow vegetables in order to use natural means of pest control, in fact you don't need a garden at all.

During the summer months do you see mosquitoes, ants moths or mice around your yard? Plants and herbs will keep these pests away from your garden or home. You don't need to spend a fortune either and if you look at the cost, natural means of controlling pests is cheaper and much less dangerous than using any commercial bug killers. And they help[ you to stay clear of Toronto's $5000 fine for those breaking the new pesticide bylaw. The good thing about using these natural and proven methods of insect control is that you can have just a few flower pots of these things that you can move around to where they are needed or you could do as I do and scatter them throughout the garden but I also have some of these plants by my front and back doors to repel insects and to keep them out of my house.

I plant marigolds at the front and back end of my vegetable rows. I put Marigold there because the scent from Marigold confuses flying insects. They can't ruin your plants or vegetables if they can't get to them and Marigolds do an outstanding job at keeping flying insects away. They try to get near the garden, hit the Marigold scent and they get dizzy and fly off. Garlic is another good herb to use as a means of keeping flying insects away too and it also keeps a number of beetles and grubs away as well.

Do you have problems with ants in your garden or in your house? Ants will be repelled by Sage. Plant some sage around your property and around your garden and you will be ant free all year, it will drive the ants out of their underground homes and will chase them into your neighbors yard. If you plant some sage in some flower pots and place them beside your front and rear doorways, you will keep ants out of your house forever. You can also place a few sprigs in your cabinets or cupboards and that will keep the ants out of your kitchen. Leaving a few sprigs in the cellar will keep the ants from tunneling in to the house as well.

Are you tired of running around your home with a rolled up piece of newspaper trying to swat a fly that got in? A great way to keep flies out of the house altogether is to once again take some plower pots and plant some Basil. Place these flower pots by the doors and by a few windows and you will keep flies away. Basil is a tremendous all purpose insect repellent and it will work against moths, flies and other flying pests. Basil planted around tomatoes will help them taste better and it helps them grow better but the best part is that when the tomatoes are ready to be picked, you have the Basil for making sauce right there beside the tomatoes!

Two of the most disgusting creatures you find in gardens are snails and slugs....yuch. To keep these slimy creatures out of your garden and out of your life, plant some Anise. Anise is a great repellent for slugs and snails and also works to repel aphids.

I have a large and open back yard and I have a brook that runs through my yard and a lot of open space on each side of the brook. That means that I have field mice running around the area. I dont want to kill them but at the same time, I dont want them in or anywhere around my house, so I plant spearmint along the brook banks and around my yard and garden, I plant a lot of it around the foundation of my house and by my doors. This keeps mice away from my house altogether. It also makes my yard smell tremendous too but spearmint works and it will keep all rodents away without fail. If you ever get a mouse in the house, then you can always take some sprigs of the mint and scatter around the house or you can go to the nuclear bomb of rodent control and get some spearmint or peppermint oil and soak a cottonball in it and leave it in the corners of a few rooms. The smell will drive the rodents right out of the house and wont harm them at all.

Another great method of controlling ants, aphids and mice in and around your garden or house is to plant some catnip. Catnip is a superb repellent of insects but it will attract cats who just may find that they like to use your garden as a giant kitty litter box so if you plant some Rue there as well, that scent will repel dogs and cats and keep your garden happy.

There are a lot of natural means to keep your garden and your home free from insects and other pests. You do not have to try to destroy them by using harsh chemicals when natural means exist to control all garden and home pests. I use no chemicals in my gardens at all. I only use natural means of pest and rodent control and I have never lost any of my vegetables to insects or any four legged creatures. I attract the insects that I want such as bees but the rest always find a not welcomed sign waiting for them.

Try some of these methods, once you see that they do indeed work then try another and then another. In a very short time you will find that natural methods work better than any chemical that you can buy.