Dealing with Garden Pests Grays

Once you start growing your own, and assuming you are following organic guidelines, you will soon start to encounter the pests which plague almost all organic gardeners. It is fairly inevitable that you will lose at least a part of your crop to pests, but there are certainly ways to minimise damage and losses.

In this article we will have a look at some of the worst garden pests, from cats to earwigs, and look at ways to deal with them before they trample, steal or munch their way through you raised bed.

1. Birds

Birds will take advantage of any seeds scattered or sown at almost any time of the year. Wood pigeons and starlings are particularly destructive. Pigeons because they can cause utter chaos in a veg patch, and starlings because they can come in huge numbers once they know food is available. The answer can be as simple as covering your patch with light garden netting or placing some birds scarers around (old CD's hung from fishing line work well). It can also be a good idea to place a bird feeder in a different area of the garden to distract from the seed bed.

2. Slugs and Snails

The bane of every organic gardeners life, slugs and snails will eat almost any type of plant, and are particularly keen on young tender seedlings. The quickest and easiest way to stop slugs and snails is to spend a few pounds on a slug trap and fill it with beer or fruit juice. The molluscs are attracted by the fermenting smell and quickly fall in and drown. You can also make your own slug by simply half filling a jam jar with beer and burying it up to its rim in the ground. If growing in pots, you can buy copper tape which you stick around the pot. As the snail or slug tries to cross the tape, it will get a small electrical shock. In particularly bad cases, slug pellets might be the only answer. However, make sure they are safe for children, pets and other wildlife.

3. Aphids (greenfly)

Aphids can be hard to spot unless they appear in large numbers, so keep an eye out for curled shoots and leaves. This is a sign that aphids are at work. Covering your seedlings with a fine mesh garden fleece should work as a quick fix. In the long term, think about planting some companion plants near your crop. Things like french marigolds, chives and lavender will disguise the smell of the Aphids target plants.

4. Earwigs and Millipedes

In large numbers, these pests can do some real damage to young plants, especially potato plants. You can keep them off your crop by placing hollowed out fruit near your veg patch, or by placing pieces of old board on the ground.

5. Worms

No, not normal earthworms (the gardeners friend) but Cut worms, wire worms and leatherjackets. Attracted to young seedlings, and capable of munching through a surprisingly large amount, these hard to spot pests can be a real problem. To get rid of them, water your patch well and lay down old pieces of wet carpet. Turn the carpet over the next morning and you will reveal them . Either let the bird...

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