Pests and Pestilence
Improve your garden layout to welcome the helpers you want. Plant a perimeter garden with scented plants to act like a barrier against pests around vegetable beds. Then, intermix flowering plants like yarrow and dill throughout the garden so beneficial bugs have places to eat and live. Finally, add pockets of native wildflowers near water sources to encourage pollinators and predators.
Companion Planting
Strategic plant pairings naturally repel pests while improving your garden’ s productivity. Known as companion planting, this technique lets certain plants work together. Ŋ Basil and Tomatoes: Basil deters whiteflies and hornworms and improves tomato flavor.
Ŋ Onions and Carrots: The pungent scent of onions confuses carrot flies, while carrot tops repel onion pests.
Ŋ Marigolds: Plant marigolds near vegetables to deter nematodes and other pests.
Ready to start? Consider a companion planting guide or app.
Growing companion plants can add many benefits to your fields. Squash, beans and corn are pictured growing in harmony. This combination is known as the Three Sisters among Indigenous American cultures.
Stop Pests Before They Start
The best way to control pests is to keep them from becoming a problem in the first place. Ŋ Inspect your home, garage and outbuildings for potential pest entry points. Seal them with caulk, steel wool or weatherstripping.
Ŋ Eliminate hiding places or food for pests. Clear weeds, store firewood at least 20 feet from buildings, secure trash and remove clutter.
Ŋ Build garden fences at least 5 feet high, buried 12 inches underground and angled outward at the top to keep out groundhogs, raccoons, deer and other animals.
Ŋ Rotate crops to disrupt pest lifecycles, reduce infestations and give soil time to recover.
Ŋ Install motion-activated sprinklers, lights and sound deterrents near gardens, chicken coops and other areas that attract animals.
By preventing pests from setting up shop, you’ ll reduce the need for more invasive( and expensive) interventions later.
February 2025 | www. FarmersHotLine. com | 31