By: Justin Butts Photos by: Rachel Benavides
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It is possible to repelbrpests from your garden simply through the selection and arrangement of yourbrplants. No toxic chemicals are required to keep your plants free of pests. The gardenbrdesign itself can act as a form of pesticide.
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Intensive Planting Creates a Mini-Ecosystem
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Begin by planting yourbrbeds intensively. Intensive planting is the tight spacing of plantsbracross the bed. This close spacing allows the leaves of mature plants tobroverlap and form a thick canopy over the garden. This canopy protects and insulatesbrthe soil.
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The canopy also providesbra sanctuary for beneficial predators—frogs, toads, lizards, wasps, and otherbrgarden helpers. These good guys hunt in the dense foliage and patrol among thebrvegetables continually cleansing your garden of pests.
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As an added bonus,breach morning, as the air outside the garden warms up faster than the soilbrbeneath the canopy, condensation forms on the leaves of the plants and dripsbrdown to water the soil!
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Pest-ResistantbrPlants form Bug Traps!
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The ideal garden bed is five feet wide andbrtwenty feet long, which is enough space to create a mini-ecosystem (smallerbr5’x4’ beds also work well). Plant your vegetables across the five-foot width ofbrthe bed, rather than long-ways from one end to the other. These short five feetbrrows are the second part of the design to control pests, as you alternatebrbetween rows of pest-sensitive and pest-resistant plants.
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Pest-sensitive plants, such as lettuce andbrchard, are more susceptible to insect attacks. However, pest-resistant plants,brlike radishes or collards, emit an odor that pest insects abhor. In yourbrgarden, plant several rows of sensitive plants, like lettuce, across the fivebrfeet width of the bed, then plant a row of hardy radishes. Next, plant a few rowsbrof delicate chard, then a row of collards. brContinue to alternate between rows of sensitive and resistant plants.
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The pest-resistant plants will form bugbrtraps in your garden! Insect pests stop feeding at the line of pest-resistantbrplants and get trapped into localized areas. The beneficial predators in yourbrgarden (frogs, toads, ladybugs) will swarm to that spot and quickly devour insectbrpests before they become a problem.
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Herbsbrand Flowers for Flavor, Fragrance, and Pest Control!
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Strong-smelling herbs, such as cilantrobrand dill, are fantastic pest-resistant plants. Winter flowers, such as cosmos,brQueen Anne’s lace, and nasturtiums also repel and confuse pests.
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Plant alternating rows of herbs andbrflowers among your vegetables to form bug traps and to add a layer of color andbrbeauty to the lush greens of your winter garden.
