How to Control Pests Naturally in Your Organic Garden Articles | Garden Information Center

When it comes to pest control, your organic garden is a lot like children or the elderly are hit hardest with disease because their immune systems are weaker. In the same way, plants that are malnourished are more likely to be attacked by disease and pests. Therefore, the best pest control in your organic gardening arsenal is to provide the healthiest soil possible. So put plenty of compost in your raised beds and add more throughout the growing season.

But even under the best of circumstances, your organic flower or vegetable garden will be attacked by pests. So what should you do?

Call in the Calvary
Nature provides its own pest control in the form of beneficial birds, toads and insects. With a little planning, you can keep destruction from insects down to a minimum. Remember the Mother Goose rhyme about "the dog that worried the cat, that killed the rat, that ate the malt, that lay in the house that Jack built"? Like that poem, all of nature is interconnected. Destroy one element of it with a pesticide, and all other things become out of kilter.

Instead, strengthen your organic vegetable garden by providing plenty of compost. Also, while planting the vegetables you want, plan on planting a few extra flowers and herbs that will provide your organic garden with a natural defense against pests.

Buckwheat
No it's not just a character from "Little Rascals." Buckwheat is also a grain that is usually grown as food, but beneficial insects like it as well. You won't need to plant much - just one-fourth of a pound or so will do. Plant it early in the spring, as buckwheat prefers cooler temperatures and will die in the heat of the summer.

Buckwheat can also be grown as a green manure crop. You can find the seed online through different sprouting companies.

Dill
An herb that's supposed to be good for the stomach, it's also darned good for making pickles. We love making fresh pickles from cucumbers and dill that we've picked from the garden. Plus, the good bugs love it, so be sure to devote a little space for this wonderful plant.

Borage
This is also an herb that produces bright blue, star-shaped flowers. It smells a bit like cucumber and its leaves are good in salad. The fresh leaves of the borage plant used to be used as a remedy for melancholy and to give strength. It also works as a diuretic.

Pick borage leaves only on a sunny day, when the plants are free of dew and eat them fresh, or just leave them in your garden as a natural pest patrol feeding station.

Calendula
These wonderful, aromatic flowers are also known as pot marigolds, but are not true marigolds. They have marvelous healing properties and can be used topically to heal lacerations, abrasions and skin infections. Beneficial insects also love these flowers and are drawn to them, so have plenty on hand.

Cosmos
No, not Carl Sagan's vision, but rather the flower. They produce gorgeous blossoms in brilliant shades of yellow, red and orange. Also, they're easy to start from seed and thrive on a bit of neglect, a real plus for the beginning gardener. They work great in both fresh cut and dried flower arrangements and help keep your vegetable garden pest free. A definite win-win situation.

Yarrow
This is a perennial, so give some thought to where you want to plant it, as you may have this wonderful herb for quite some time. It does tend to take over, so you'll want to be vigilant about picking it. But this shouldn't be a problem in that in addition to drawing in the beneficial insects, yarrow has medicinal uses. A leaf rolled up and applied to the nostrils is supposed to stop a nosebleed. Also, yarrow tea is a good remedy for colds.

Sweet Alyssum
This is often planted as a ground cover. It only grows a few inches high but can spread out as far as a foot. The plant produces delicate flowers with a wonderful fragrance. Bees, butterflies and birds love this flower, and so will you.