My favorite plants to deter garden pests are sage, mint, onions, and nasturtiums. All have wonderful edible qualities whether in a salad or a refreshing tea.
My sage plant keeps the cabbage moth away and those pesky flea beetles, many flying insects do not like it smell. What doesn’t get sent away with the sage is turned away by my peppermint which cut down on my ant problem and therefore the aphid problem and keeps the whitefly and mites from my favorite plants.
My onions and garlic repel ants and aphids too but more importantly ticks and fleas even better than my marigolds. And the nasturtiums are the best host attracting all the aphids, flea beetles, and white flies to it leaving my vegetables all alone and giving my ladybugs a wonderful place to live.
Onions repel ants, aphids, flea beetles, mosquitoes; Garlic repels ants, aphids, flea beetles, mosquitoes, ticks, onion flies.
Mints: Catnip controls aphids, earworms, squash bugs, cucumber, Japanese, & flea beetles. Pennyroyal repels ants & fleas. Is generally beneficial to any herb or vegetable garden. Peppermint (& other Mentha sp.) controls ants, aphids, cabbage loopers, cabbage grubs, flies, cucumber beetles, flea beetles, squash bugs, whiteflies, mites.
Nasturtium will attract aphids, flea beetles & black fly to itself & away from desirable plants, like tomatoes. Repels potato beetles, cucumber beetles.
Sage is a wonderful companion crop for many other plants. It will repel cabbage moths & looper, carrot flies, flea beetles, a large number of harmful flying insects, especially those around vines & predators of rosemary.
Contact Diane Flowers, Sol Inspirations, 877-377-9347
There are many non-toxic easy ways to keep your garden happy and healthy.
First thing is to understand that a few pests are okay and even the strongest of chemical sprays, liquids, and powders will not kill off every single pest in your yard. In fact, most sprays in the end work against your idea by killing off all of the insect predators, leaving your yard wide open to all the critters from the houses around you. As a mom, I want to feel safe that what I’m doing to keep my vegetables happy is not hurting my children or my pets. Here are a couple of my favorite mixes:
Aphids and other crawling insects:
First method – spray plant with water, yes just water. With any infestation there will be some beneficial insects, the water will knock everyone off and they will have to crawl back up to do any more damage. Also if ants are present they are the ones putting aphids all over you plants in the first place. Keep ants off of the plant by putting something sticky, like Vaseline, on the plant where there are climbing on.
Second method – add 2 spoonfuls of plain dish soap to a large spray bottle of water. Wait for evening or foggy conditions and soak the plant top and bottom. Rinse off with fresh water in 20 minutes. This will also kill beneficial insects so use for heavy infestations to get things in control. Also washing the soap off is important since any left on the plant will clog the pores on the leaves and cause leaf drop.
Powdery mildew, rust, and black spot:
These common fungi love the foggy conditions of Santa Cruz and are common in every garden I tend to. Keeping them at bay first involves cleaning up any leaf drop that could contain the spores. Next is to spray with this basic household solution: 1 tablespoon of each baking soda, white vinegar, and canola oil, mixed in 1 gal of water. Add to spray bottle and coat leaves top and bottom in the evening or foggy conditions. In direct sun the oil will cause leaf burn. This also does a number on aphids and other pests.
Tune in next time to how to attract beneficial insects.
Contact Diane Flowers, Sol Inspirations, 877-377-9347
Going solar can seem overwhelming with all the different kinds of panels, financing and rebates. So here are some things for you to know when considering solar for your home.
Look at Your Utility Bill
Everyone has a “baseline” where the cost of their electricity starts, then PG&E has different pricing “tiers” based on the amount of electricity used during the month. The cost of your electricity costs more with each tier. While it is great to completely eliminate your electric bill, it is often more practical to just eliminate the top 2-3 tiers which will reduce your electric bill by an average of 75%.
Look at Your Lifestyle and How Much Energy You Use.
Do you have a pool and hot tub, a home theater or have lots of electronics? Do you have a growing family whose energy needs are growing and changing? Have the solar company calculate your planned electricity demands, not just your actual, current usage.
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