10 Best Natural Ways to Prevent Garden Pests

There is no garden immune to pests no matter the type – flower, vegetable or fruit. Pests can level a garden pretty quickly if given the proper chance. Because of this, natural ways to prevent garden pests are of interest to every gardener, organic or not.

Holy (or is that holey?) Roses

My wonderful, handy husband built a fantastic, large covered front porch on our house. We made the front of the porch a flower garden and I had visions of a climbing rose in the corner of the garden climbing up a trellis and then the white porch rails and post. I chose to plant Joseph’s Coat climbing rose because of the varied colors all on one plant – oranges, yellows and pinks.

It would be beautiful!

After I planted the rose, I made sure to coddle it along nicely with enough water and nutrients. And as it started take off, I tied its branches nearer to the trellis to encourage the proper direction. We had plenty of rain for quite a few weeks, so I didn’t really check on my rose for awhile, other than to admire the blossoms as I went past.

One day in early June, I noticed from a distance that a longer branch on the rose needed to be tied. So, I grabbed a tie string and headed over. As I got closer, I saw that the bottom half of the foliage on the rose had holes all over the leaves. Holes! In my rose leaves! This could not be happening!

After Googling what might be wrong, it appears that rose slugs (Sawfly larvae) were likely the culprit. The Sawfly lays its eggs in the leaves, then the larvae (slugs) emerge and feed on the leaves. When mature, they fall to the ground and bury in the soil to winter over. They come out the next year as a Sawfly, and the cycle starts again. I gave the rose leaves a spray of Safer Insect Killing Soap on both top and bottom. It is an all natural product and in about 2 weeks I did it again.

Whether it’s flowers, fruits or vegetables, I bet you have a similar story. Let’s take a look at some natural ways to prevent garden pests.

Natural Ways to Prevent Garden Pests

Use beneficial insects to control the pests.

Keep in mind, that there are insects and creatures that are welcome in a garden. Some are truly beneficial like ladybugs, spiders, ground beetles, aphid midges, damsel bugs and green lacewings. You will want to try to attract the beneficial insects that will help you control some of the insects that are considered pests. For more information on how to attract beneficial garden insects and how they are used, read this article.

Practice good garden clean-up after the harvest.

Always remove debris from your garden in the fall. Squash/melon vines and other garden debris from plants can provide the perfect place for insect pests to winter over and then invade in the spring.

Rotate your crops.

There are good reasons to rotate your crops for a healthy garden, and pest control is one. While one vegetable might attract a particular kind of pest, another may repel it. So when the pests pop out in the spring, their food source has moved away.

Sprinkle cayenne pepper or coffee grounds on the soil.

Cayenne pepper will aid in keeping ants out of your garden, as well as deter some dogs from digging and small animals from using your garden beds for a litter box. Rain/watering will wash it away, so you have to be willing to apply regularly. Note of caution! Cayenne pepper can cause intestinal distress in cats when swallowed, and of course you don’t want any of your pets getting it in their eyes. If you want to keep cats out, try sprinkling coffee grounds instead.

Place crops in more than one area of the garden.

Instead of having one area with just cabbage, for example, you might consider planting cabbage in a few different areas – interspersed with a variety of other vegetables, herbs and flowers. With the variety, pests will have difficulty locating their favorite buffet.

Plant only healthy plants, and keep them de-stressed.

Take a pass on plants that look like they might have eggs or little bugs under or on the leaves or stem. Leave the plants with yellowed leaves at the garden center. Don’t even think about bringing them home! Give your plants the nutrients they need with good compost and water them sufficiently. Much like a lowered immune system invites sickness more often, stressed plants can invite a pest infestation or plant disease problem.

Fence in your garden to keep rabbits out.

Fence in your garden with fence holes small enough to keep rabbits out (no larger than about an inch if you want to keep rabbit babies out) and at least 2 feet high. Our fence has a bit too large holes, so I have noticed that the younger bunnies were able to get in and out. Even so, our vegetables are in raised beds that are over 2 feet high, so this has not been an issue. Be sure to use wire fencing or they will chew a nice hole and hop on in. Chicken wire tends to work well, but be sure they can’t get in underneath. Bury it at least 3-6″ deep in the ground – more is better.

Use netting or row covers to keep animals out.

This is fine to give your plants a good start when they are young, but if your row covers are a solid type cloth, remove them when the plants start to blossom. They need free access to bees, wind and other pollinators.

Use a repelling scent.

Plant a row or two of marigolds around your vegetables. Rabbits do not like the smell of marigolds. Rabbits and other small animals also do not like the scent of a predator and will stay away. If you have a dog that you brush regularly, spread the excess hair around your plants. An option might also be to grab a big pile from a local groomer. This is a method I have not tried – let me know if you use it and how it works! You can also purchase predator scents such as coyote urine to spray around the perimeter.

Keep piles of brush or lawn debris cleaned up and the grass mowed.

This will remove possible habitats for little furry creatures that might seek to do harm.

Having said all of the above, each garden is its own ecosystem. What may be a problem for you, may not be a problem for someone else. For this reason, it is important to examine these natural ways to prevent garden pests in the context of your own situation. While you are at it, you might want to check out natural ways to prevent garden diseases.

If nothing else, I do implore you to heed the first item and attract beneficial bugs that will help control the pesky ones – that works for every garden. You can click through right here to learn how to attract beneficial insects and read about the benefits they provide. Preventing an infestation now will help protect your harvest for later!