Residential gardening in America produces80 million pounds of pesticides每年。这些化学物质渗入土壤和你的食物。它们对你的孩子和宠物也很危险。
You can protect your home garden from pests without using pesticides.
The methods of natural pest prevention are surprisingly easy and effective. Many of them are also more affordable than chemical pesticides. Win-win!
Are you ready to get rid of garden pests in an eco-friendly way? Keep reading for seven easy ways to protect your garden.
1. Move the Compost Far Away
Many pests are attracted to decomposing plants and food. If you have a compost bin in your backyard, move it far away from your garden.
Bugs and insects are important for the decomposition process. You should still have a compost bin anddiscard food waste this way. But, avoid keeping it near the garden where pests can spread and keep eating.
You should also remove dead plants, leaves, and debris from your garden. As they begin to decompose, pests will come for the buffet.
Make sure the perimeter of your garden is clear of any plants and debris. There shouldn’t be any logs or dead sticks for them to hide under. Your garden is only for thriving plants, nothing that is in the decomposition process.
2. Add Variety
Biodiversity is one of nature’s magic tricks. Not only does it encourage plants to grow healthy and strong, but it also prevents pests.
In your home garden, avoid making it easy for pests to propagate through. Disperse different plants among your fruit and vegetable plants.
包括一些自然排斥害虫。例如，矮牵牛花排斥蚜虫、甲虫和南瓜虫。菊花能驱赶银鱼、蟑螂和甲虫。
Adding biodiversity back into your garden will also attract the insects we need. Flowers attract pollinators like bees and butterflies. They also attract hummingbirds which are always pleasant to see in your garden.
3. Buy Predator Insects
There are plenty of insects that pose no threat to your garden. And, they happen to help prevent pests that will do damage.
You can attract these warriors or buy them from your local gardening store.
Here are some bugs and insects you might want to consider buying for your garden:
- Praying Mantis
- 瓢虫
- Braconids
- Mud Wasps
- Hover Flies
还有一些动物可以帮助你解决害虫问题。蜥蜴和蟾蜍喜欢吃鼻涕虫和蜗牛。如果你能把这些物种引入你的院子，你就能消除鼻涕虫的问题。
4要辣的
如果你还没有种植草药和香料在你的花园里，你应该。它们不仅美味可口，还能保护你的花园免受害虫的侵害。
Spices and herbs have strong scents that many pests hate. Some examples are chives, garlic, mint, and basil.
If your garden’s pests are four-legged and furry, definitely plant some garlic. Rabbits detest the smell of garlic and won’t want to veg out around it.
Catnip is another herb great for repelling pests. But, if you or your neighbors have an outdoor cat, you might attract a new pest to your garden.
5. Grow Healthy Plants
Like any predator in the animal kingdom, pests will prey on the weak before the strong. Use this principle as motivation for your gardening.
Healthy and strong plants are less likely to attract pests. Weak, small, and sick plants are easy targets.
How can you ensure your plants grow big and strong? By researching each plant’s optimal conditions. Learn about their ideal soil, light, fertilizer, and harvesting conditions.
Organize your garden in a way that sets your plants up to succeed. Put plants that require lots of watering in one section. Plants that prefer to be left alone can go together on the other side.
6. De-Fence
更多农村地区的房主可能会对付更大的害虫，如鹿、田鼠和兔子。最好的办法是用篱笆把这些饥饿的小动物挡在你的花园之外。
Regular chicken coop wire is perfect for garden fences. You want to choose a material that doesn’t block the sun or rain. But, it also needs to be sturdy enough to withstand wind.
The height you build it to depends on your intruders. If you have deer, you might need a fence as tall as 10 feet.
For smaller animals, a few feet might be okay if they can’t jump higher than that. Some rodents like to burrow and dig tunnels. To prevent their entry, bury the bottom of the fence a full foot deep.
为了使你的篱笆保持良好的状态，保护它不受割草机的伤害。在这里阅读更多about the benefits of using fence armor.
7. Diatomaceous Earth & Beer
One of the easiest ways to prevent pests is by spreading diatomaceous earth around your garden. This clay-like soil is made of diatoms, broken-down fossils.
The texture of diatomaceous earth is very rough and painful for some insects. Pests with a hard exoskeleton can get scratched and ripped open by the shards in the soil. They will avoid walking over diatomaceous earth.
By sprinkling it around the border of your garden, you prevent ants and beetles from getting in.
Diatomaceous earth is all packedfull of soil nutrients. It acts as a fertilizer for soil and as an organic pesticide. And, it’s pollinator-friendly.
Although it works for beetles and shelled-insects, it doesn’t work for slugs or snails. To prevent these pests, consider setting up a beer trap.
Slugs and snails love the smell and taste of beer. Place a shallow dish of beer in your garden to attract them. They’ll get intoxicated from drinking the beer after falling in and eventually die.
准备好除掉后院的花园害虫了吗？
Switching from chemical pesticides to natural methods is an awesome achievement. You’re effectively protecting the surrounding lakes, oceans, and soils.
Get rid of garden pests with one of the methods listed above. Remember, you’ll soon be harvesting cleaner and more sustainable produce.
Removing pesticides is just one way of making your garden more sustainable.Read herefor 10 more ways to have an eco-friendly garden.
