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Back to Nature
Are you an insect magnet? Enjoy the outdoors again by planting these natural insect and pest repelling herbs: Basil (flies, mosquitoes), lavender (moths, fleas, flies, mosquitoes), lemongrass, lemon thyme, lemon balm, rosemary and mint (mosquitoes), bay leaves (flies), chives (aphids, flies, beetles), dill (aphids, spider mites), fennel (aphids, slugs snails), oregano
and thyme (many pests), parsley (beetles). Ornamental
flowers that repel: Alliums (insects, slugs), chrysanthemums
(roaches, ticks, fleas), nasturtiums (aphids, beetles),
marigolds (aphids, mosquitoes, rabbits), petunias (aphids, beetles, squash bugs), geraniums (leafhoppers), narcissus (moles), four o’clocks (Japanese beetle), and pansies (mosquitoes).
Protect plants from aphids with non-toxic insect tea. Bruise 2 large handfuls of basil leaves and stems and add them to a 1-gallon jar of water. Set jar in the sun for 4-8 hours. Strain with cheesecloth or pantyhose, add several drops of liquid soap, mix. Spray plants with this natural repellent to fend off aphids, leafhoppers, grubs, squash bugs, mites, cucumber beetles, and cabbage loopers.
Roses love banana peel. Banana peels work great for growing fabulous flowers and
yummy vegetables. Roses especially love them. Save the peels until they’re crisp and
crumbly. Then cut them into small pieces and bury them a few inches into the soil around your plants.
Use coffee grounds as fertilizer for your plants and grass. Rinse the acidic grounds; then mix directly into soil to help plants get essential elements like phosphorus and potassium without the use of chemical fertilizers. Scatter used grounds on your lawn. They will permeate the soil, helping the lawn to grow lush and thick. Add grounds to your compost pile. Worms love them, so munch them and produce nutrient-rich
castings.
Destroy ant hills with an orange! Citrus fruit contains oils that are a natural pesticide.
So, just grind up an orange, peel and all, in a blender, add water and blend, and pour it
on the anthill. The oils can kill ants, as well as prevent ant infestations.
Add calcium to your garden plants with eggshells. Rinse shells and allow them to dry. When you have a dozen or so, you’ll have a good amount to work with. Pulverize the shells. You can add some to the hole before you plant, or sprinkle them around the base of your plants.
Slug it out with slugs! Slugs and snails love beer even more than your tomato plants. Just bury a plastic container near your plants and fill it about half full with beer. The slugs and snails are attracted to the yeasty smell, fall into the beer and drown.
Plants grow fast with molasses. Mix 1 tablespoon of blackstrap molasses in a gallon of water. Using
molasses in gardens has the additional benefit of fighting off pests. Molasses increases the overall vitality of plants, so pests are less likely to attack your garden. For best results, repeat every two weeks.
Attract birds. Plant berries – chokeberry, serviceberry, mulberry and elderberry. For nesting, birds love dryer lint, hair from a brush or dog brush, scraps of yarn. Put these treasures in a mesh bag, like an onion sack, and hang from a bush or tree. For hummingbirds, plant red, orange and bright pink tubular, nectar-rich flowers such as fuchsia, crocosmia, petunias, bee balm, salvia, and trumpet honeysuckle.
