How To Prevent Pests From Taking Over Your Garden

When pests get into your garden, it’s not a lot of fun and you wish they weren’t there. But, of course, it’s something that happens. 

The key is to figure out what to do to prevent it. Surprisingly, it probably isn’t as challenging as you might think. Once you know the correct strategies, keeping pests at bay is surprisingly straightforward. 

So, what should you be doing? 

Maintain Healthy Soil

You’ll want to start by maintaining healthy soil. You need to ensure that it is less susceptible to pests and has a healthy ecosystem. 

The best way to do this quickly is to enrich it with a combination of compost and fertilizer, and then turn it over. This will add diversity to the soil and encourage the good bugs and worms you want to move into it over time. These will then create an ecosystem that makes the presence of pests less likely. 

Practice Crop Rotation

At the same time, you’ll also want to practice crop rotation. For example, you might want to move tomatoes between beds each year to prevent the buildup of critters that like to feed on them. 

Crop rotation seems simple, but it is one of the most advanced strategies you can use. It keeps pests guessing and stops large populations from building up year after year, mimicking the natural environment more. 

Add Companion Plants

If you can add pest-repelling companion plants, that also works. These species actively deter pests and make them think twice about setting up in a particular bed or rut. Basil along with tomatoes, for instance, reduces the risk of whiteflies. 

What’s nice about companion plants is that they reduce the need to use chemicals. Many create a natural barrier. 

Encourage Beneficial Insects

If you can encourage beneficial insects, that can also help. Pest control experts will often recommend this strategy if you have a problem in your garden. 

For example, ladybugs and predatory beetles are often great additions. These will eat the larvae and spawn of pests before their populations can grow, keeping their numbers and bay throughout the year. Just ensure the ecosystem provides sufficient food for beetles so that they stick around and don’t go wandering off elsewhere. 

Keep Your Garden Cl

What about keeping your garden clean? That’s also a good way to reduce the risk of pest infestations. 

Fallen fruit is a surprisingly big risk, and can attract fruit flies. It also provides space for pests to breed, which is something you want to studiously avoid if you can. 

Plant debris can also cause problems, attracting woodlice and slugs. Because of this, you’ll want to keep it to a minimum, or clear it away entirely if you have a real infestation problem. 

Add Natural Pest Repellents

Finally, you can try adding more natural pest repellents to your garden. Substances like neem oil and insecticidal soap can keep many creepy crawlies at bay. The best time to apply these is early or late in the day so you can avoid getting too many of them on bee pollinators.