Humans aren’t the only ones who find home-garden vegetables to be tasty and nutritious. Dozens of bug species from rust-fly larvae in the carrots to earworms in the corn are common pests that try to harvest our crops before we do.
Here are 9 veggie-bug-fighting strategies:
1. Out-smart/out-maneuver
Start by choosing varieties that are naturally resistant to and/or tolerant of bugs.
Then instead of planting each crop in blocks that make it easy for pests to find and feed on, intermingle crops in smaller groupings. Cabbage worms might find one cluster of broccoli plants, but they might not find another hidden among the onions.
Also, time your planting to avoid the bug reproduction cycle or plant crops successively a few weeks apart rather than all at once so that if bugs get one planting, they might no longer be active for the next one.
2. Ignore
Some bug damage is temporary, cosmetic, or partial. Monitor plants regularly to separate real brewing trouble from the minor stuff that can be tolerated, cut out, or peeled away.
3. Protect plants with barriers
Floating row covers, which are water-porous, light-weight, polyester blankets that can be draped over plants, are one of the best defenses for keeping flying pests from eating leaves or laying eggs on plants.
Cardboard collars made out of toilet paper rolls work well to keep cutworms from chewing the base of young plants, and foil wrapped around the base of squash plants discourages squash vine borers from laying eggs in the plant stems.
4. Use repellents
Non-toxic repellents are available in garden centers that naturally repel bugs with such ingredients as garlic or hot-pepper oil. Some are spray-on liquids, others are granular that can be scattered around the base of plants.
Interplanting plants also helps because the scent of an undesirable plant, such as onions or oregano, can disguise the scent of a desirable plant nearby.
