Natural Gardening
Get your garden off drugs!
Gardening without the use of herbicides and pesticides can make your lawn and garden healthier and safer for you, your family and your pets. Healthy plants can fend off weeds, pests and diseases naturally--without chemical treatments. But to have healthy plants, you must have healthy soil. Pesticides make soil vulnerable to weeds and pests because the chemicals kill beneficial insects and microorganisms.
Inappropriate soil pH can make your garden and lawn a breeding ground for certain kinds of weeds. It is a good idea to test your soil pH and analyze your levels of organic nutrients. Home testing kits are available at garden centres and hardware stores.
A great way to add nutrients to your soil is to add compost. Compost is a natural potting soil made from garden waste and kitchen scraps. For more details, check out our composting section.
Large dark brown or black beetle with grooves down its backMany insects in your garden are predators and therefore help control the populations of harmful insects. Any measures you take to kill insects should be undertaken with care to avoid harming beneficial insects...in fact, 95% of insects are beneficial to your garden! They help aerate the soil, break down organic matter, store nutrients, pollinate flowers and eat harmful insects...and they do it all for free!
Making your Garden Inviting to Beneficial Insects and Animals
All animals and insects require food, water and shelter. By providing these for the beneficial animals and insects you will help control the populations of harmful insects in your garden.
Supply Water: A birdbath works well for birds, a shallow dish with some stones in it will work for butterflies and insects. Change the water regularly to offer your friends a place for a clean drink.
Provide Shelter: By planting a wide variety of plants, trees and shrubs you provide places for the beneficial insects to hide from predators, lay their eggs, and raise their young.
Birds eat an amazing amount of bugs so you want to encourage them to live in your garden but you don’t want to encourage fruit eating birds to hang around in your strawberry bed.
| Insects | Looks Like | Eats |
|---|---|---|
| Flower Flies | A yellow-jacketed wasp. Hangs out around flowers. |
Larvae eat aphid
|
| Lace Wings | Long wings 3/4" long. Larvae look like small alligators. | Aphids and other soft-bodied insects |
| Lady Bugs | Round red shell with black spots. | Aphids |
| Parasitic & Small Wasps |
Lay eggs inside other insects. The eggs hatch and kill the host.
|
Often affects aphids. |
| Spiders | Many different varieties. | A wide variety of insects. |
| Ground Beetles | Large dark brown or black beetle with grooves down its back | Many different insects |
| Yellow Jackets | Wasps | Gather insects to feed larvae. |
| Bees | Familiar yellow and black fuzzy body. | Pollinate Flowers |
Planting certain plants together can enhance growth and nearly eliminate some pest and disease problems.On the flip side, planting other combinations together can hinder growth.
| Plant | Plants That Enhance Growth | Plants That Hinder Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Beans | Catnip repels flea beetles. Rosemary repels insects. Celery, corn and tomatoes improve growth. Beans like summer savory, strawberries, cucumbers, carrots, and cauliflower. | Onion-family plants, gladiolus, fennel |
| Beat Root | Bush beans, onions, kohlrabi, lettuce, and most members of the cabbage family. | Pole Bean |
| Cabbage Family | Aromatic plants such as rosemary, sage, and thyme repel insects. Interplant with clover and lettuce to help confuse insect pests. Hyssop, thyme, southern wood, and wormwood will repel cabbage moths. All aromatic plants or those with many blossoms like celery, dill, chamomile, peppermint, onions and potato. | Pole beans and strawberries. Tomatoes and kohlrabi stunt each other's growth. |
| Carrots | Interplant with peas, radishes, or sage to improve flavor- peas also add nutrients to the soil. Onions, leeks and rosemary help repel root maggot flies. Onions help repel carrot rust flies. Plant with leaf lettuce and tomato. | Dill and anise |
| Corn | Beans and peas add nutrients to the soil. Plant them in between corn rows or train them up corn stalks. Likes potato, pumpkin, squash, melons, cucumber. | Quackgrass and tomato (tomato and corn earthworm are identical) |
| Cucumbers | Radishes lure cucumber beetles away. Marigolds repel the pests. Likes corn, beans, peas, sunflower. | Potatoes and aromatic herbs like sage. |
| Horseradish | Likes potatoes. | None |
| Lettuce | Beets, carrots, cucumbers, cabbage-family crops, radishes, and strawberries all enhance growth. | None |
| Onion Family | Beets. Interplant with potatoes to deter Colorado potato beetles. Likes cabbage family, strawberries, tomatoes. | Beans, peas, sage. |
| Peas | Carrots, turnips, radishes, cucumbers, corn beans, potatoes, aromatic herbs. | Onion, garlic, gladiolus |
| Peppers | Carrots. Marigolds help repel aphids and nematodes. Aromatic plants such as catnip, coriander, nasturtiums, onions and tansy may also repel aphids. | Beans, fennel and kohlrabi. |
| Potatoes | Beans, corn, marigolds, and herbs such as catnip, coriander, nasturtiums, and tansy repel insects. | Cucumbers, pumpkins, raspberries, squash, sunflowers and tomatoes. |
| Pumpkins | Corn and sunflowers provide shade. Beans, clover and peas enrich the soil for future crops. | Potatoes and raspberries. |
| Radishes | Beans, carrots, kohlrabi, onions and parsnips enhance growth. Likes, lettuce, beets, spinach, parsnips, cucumbers, squash, melons, tomatoes. | Grapes, hyssop. Do not rotate with any members of the cabbage family: (cabbage, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, kohlrabi, broccoli or turnip). |
| Spinach |
Strawberries improve growth and flavor.
|
Cabbage and potatoes. |
| Squash | Corn provides shade. Mint, nasturtiums, and radishes repel squash bugs and other insect pests. | Potatoes |
| Tomatoes | Asparagus, basil, borage, and marigolds repel insect pests. Parsley improves growth. Like chives, onions, nasturtiums, carrots, garlic, stinging nettle. | Black walnut trees, corn, dill, kohlrabi, potatoes, all brassicas, fennel, corn |
| Turnip | Rutabaga, Peas | None |
Weed Tea
Fill a rain barrel with rain water or non-chlorinated water and add chopped up weeds and green material. Let the mixture stand in the sun for several days. Drain the liquid off the top and dilute it with 5 parts water. Spray your weed fertilizer on plants or use it as a soil drench.
Compost Tea
Use the same process as with weed tea, but use compost rather than weeds.
Seedling Starter Solution
Mix 1/2 cup fish emulsion with 1/2 cup seaweed extract in a container. Store in a sealed container in a cool, dark place. To use, add 3 Tbsp. of starter solution to 4 litres of water. Use as a soil drench or as a spray for leaf feeding.
Swiss Chard Cocktail
Place 2 cups chopped swiss chard leaves in a blender. Add enough hot water to fill the blender and blend thoroughly. Strain the mixture through cheesecloth. Place the leaves around the base of plants and use the liquid as a soil drench around plants.
Let those grass clippings lie!
By letting your grass clippings compost directly on your lawn, you save yourself time and money and are fertilizing your lawn at the same time.
PEST CONTROL
Bug Salsa
INGREDIENTS:
2lb. ripe, blemished tomatoes
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
1 cup vinegar
1/2 tsp. pepper
Blend ingredients until liquefied. Strain the mixture through cheesecloth. Pour the liquid into a spray bottle. Spray the solution directly on pests that you spot in your garden. This spray will paralyze most insects. It can be irritating if it gets in your eyes or mouth so don't spray on windy days and wear proper protection.
Pest Patrol Bucket Blend
INGREDIENTS:
1 litre water
1 small bucket
1 tsp. dish soap
2 Tbsp. cooking oil
Put 2 to 3 inches of water in bucket. Add dish soap and oil. Gather unwanted insects and toss into bucket. The oil means that the insects cannot crawl out and the dish soap breaks down the insect's outer covering, speeding its demise.
Garlic Extract
INGREDIENTS:
2-3 whole bulbs of garlic
1 litre water
4-5 drops dish soap
Place the garlic (unpeeled) in a blender with 1 cup water. Chop well. Add the rest of the water and dish soap; blend until liquefied. Strain the mixture through cheesecloth. Store in a sealed glass jar. To use: Dilute 1 part extract with 10 parts water. Put in a spray bottle and spray plants that are under attack or are likely to come under attack. NOTE: Beneficial insects also don't like garlic so be selective of where you spray this.
Slug Feed
#1: Slugs are attracted to beer and will literally drink themselves to death in it. Set out low dishes of beer and watch the slugs come.
#2: Soak ordinary dog food in just enough water to make it slightly sqishy. Put small piles of the bait on the paths in your garden. Later that night, the slugs will be clustered around teh dog food so it is easy to scoop them and dispose of them however you want.
#3: Place a few slices of cucumber into a small pie tin and place on the ground in your garden. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.
Slug Dissolving Spray
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups non-sudsing ammonia
1 1/2 cups water
Pour the water and ammonia into a spray bottle. Shake gently to mix. Spray the mixture on plants where small slugs appear to be active.
#1: Ants are attracted to nutritionally poor, dry soil, low in organic matter. If you increase the organic matter in your soil by top dressing with compost, your soil will retain more moisture and the ant problem will take care of itself.
#2: Sprinkle red chili pepper at the point of entry.
#3: Make a syrup of 1 Tbsp. sugar and 1 Tbsp. borax in 2 Tbsp. water. Place in flat dish near infestation.
1 litre water
Boil the water and add the citrus rind. Remove from heat and steep the mixture overnight. Strain through a cheesecloth and store in a spray bottle. Spray leaves that are being attacked by aphids or other soft bodied insects.
Killer Cooking Oil (aphids, white flies and spider mites)
Rhubarb Leaves: The All-Around Pest Killer
This spray made from rhubarb leaves works well on all types of insects as well as fungal diseases and some weeds. CAUTION: This is very toxic to everything? Make it in a container that will not be used for food or water and store it well out of reach of children or pets. Keep pets and children away from areas that have recently been sprayed. Be careful where you spray as this brew can even kill trees if it is brewed strong enough.
The best way to deal with weeds is on a one-to-one basis -- by digging them out individually. The following methods will kill weeds, but they can also damage other plants and grass so be careful where you use them. Always store your mixtures out of the reach of children and pets, and clearly label your containers.
Vinegar - mix together 3 parts vinegar to 1 part liquid dish soap. Spray the mixture in a narrow stream on the weed's leaves and at the base of the plant.
Alcohol - Mix 1 Tbsp. rubbing alcohol with 1 litre of water. Spray the mixture on the weeds thoroughly but lightly. For tougher weeds, increase the amount of alcohol you use.
A Short-Cut to Compost that helps to protect your soil, using materials already on hand.
Grass clippings are often abundant and always easy to use as mulch. Let dry first so they will be easy to spread. Avoid using this method of mulch is you treat the lawn with herbicides, as herbicide residue will harm garden plants.
Newspapers (black and white ink only) between plants or in paths control weeds.
Chopped Branches and shredded leaves from chipper/shredder machines make a wonderful mulch. Let sit for six months or add extra nitrogen.
During the summer, 50% of our household water is used outside to keep our lawns and gardens green. You can reverse the trend by planting native species and other drought resistant plants. Plants from around the world are adapted to grow with little or no supplemental water. These plants are termed “xeric” and include many plants native to our own region. These plants are not only pleasing to look at but also low maintenance. The word "Xeriscape" is derived from the Greek word xeros meaning dry, and scape, the last syllable of landscape. Xeriscape refers to an attractive water-conserving landscaper designed to harmonize with the existing environment.
Xeriscape promotes water conservation by using drought-tolerant plant materials that thrive in the environment, within a landscape carefully designed for maximum use of rainfall runoff and minimum care. By limiting landscape water needs, xeriscaping principles can significantly reduce water use and save money.
More than just strategy to save water and money, xeriscape principles also stress the aesthetics of using native vegetation. Xeriscape gardening recognizes that native vegetation is visually and aesthetically pleasing, even in landscaped areas.
The Seven Principles of Xeriscape
Good Planning and Design - Many people create their own designs with excellent results. Landscape professionals can also serve as helpful resources. They can provide advice, critique, or develop plans for you. Planning is the most important step to a successful Xeriscape because it allows you to install your landscape in phases, which minimizes initial expenses.
Efficient Irrigation - For efficient water use, plan to irrigate turf areas separately from other plantings, and always water according to plant needs. Landscape plantings should be grouped according to similar water needs.
Use of Mulches - Mulched planting beds are an ideal replacement for some turf areas. Mulches cool soil, minimize evaporation, reduce weed growth, slow erosion, and provide landscape interest. Organic mulches are typically bark chips and wood grindings. Inorganic mulches include rock and various gravel products. Place mulch directly on the soil or on breathable fabric. Avoid using sheet plastic in planting areas.
Good Maintenance - Regular maintenance preserves the intended beauty of your landscape and saves water. Because of their design, Xeriscapes can help reduce maintenance costs. Pruning, weeding, proper fertilization, pest control, and irrigation system adjustments provide additional water savings.
Practical Lawn Areas - Locate turf only in areas where it provides functional benefits. Turf is best separated from areas with trees, shrubs, ground covers, and flowering plants so that it may be irrigated separately. Often turf can be replaced with other less water demanding materials such as ground covers, low water demand plants, or mulches.
Soil Improvement - Improve the soil prior to the installation of any landscape. Soil improvement allows for better absorption of water and improved water-holding capacity of the soil. Soils that have organic matter also provide beneficial nutrients to plants.
