Go chemical free
Spraying plants to eliminate pests, affects not only the target species but all the others further up the food chain that ingest the poisons along with insect that comes in to contact with it. Chemical free gardening works on the principle of controlling rather than eliminating pests.
Going chemical free can be a slow process while you attract the natural predators in to your garden but you will ultimately know that any food you grow is completely chemical free and your garden is a safe space for children, pets and wildlife.
Alternatives to chemicals include:
- build a pond to attract frogs or make your garden hedgehog friendly and they will happily eat your slugs
- encourage ladybirds, lacewings and hoverflies by planting pollen rich plants and giving them somewhere to spend the winter by leaving dead stems in your garden or making a bug box and they will eat your aphids
- companion planting is about plants helping each other. Whether it is strongly scented herbs that repel pests or a patch of nettles to attract butterflies and snails, keeping them away from your cabbages
- encouraging birds into your garden can help reduce the numbers of caterpillars eating your plants
- using natural fertilisers such as manure or your home-made compost
- create a log or stone pile to attract in your welcome guests such as frogs and hedgehogs and have a ready supply of insects to keep the birds coming back
- growing a variety of plants and rotating their locations year to year can prevent the build-up of insects which might predate on plants
- using a weak solution of soapy water on infected areas of plants can be used to deter pests, this should be done at night when insects are not as active and not be put on the flower heads.
More information can be found on the Wildlife Trust website.