Gardens need protection; rabbits, aphids, and sooty mold will love your harvest as much as you do, and Murphy’s law can send a once-in-a-100-years cold snap as soon as you put in new seedlings. Even if you’ve done everything right—planted the right crops in the right place and spaced them so they have room to breathe, watered them in the morning and at the roots, fertilized properly, deadheaded, pruned, and quickly removed fallen fruit—pests and other environmental factors can still wreak havoc in the garden.
Don’t let all your hard work go to waste. From the moment your garden sprouts, you need to take measures to keep it safe. Inspecting your plants regularly—as often as once a day—is a critical step toward protecting them and allows you to discover problems while they’re still small.
What to Look for
Visible pests are the easiest to eliminate; aphids, spider mites, mealybugs, white flies, and scale can be treated with nontoxic Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap (one ounce in a 32-ounce spray bottle of water). If the infestation is very small, you may be able to simply snip off the infested area or leaves.Soil Situations
Wilting plants can be a sign of overwatering, so start by cutting back. Stunted growth can also signal “wet feet.” When in doubt, cut back on the overall watering, and apply 3 percent hydrogen peroxide in two parts water to the roots. This has the benefit of both killing the bacteria and adding oxygen to the soil to encourage new root growth.If this doesn’t work, you’re likely to have pests feeding on the roots (wilting or drooping plants) or at other diseases (more common with the stunted growth). Organic controls for root pests include dusting with diatomaceous earth, adding beneficial nematodes to the soil, and releasing predatory rove beetles.
Mild soil-borne diseases may be fixed with the peroxide treatment, but in more serious situations, an organic copper fungicide may be needed.
Leaf Lore
If you notice yellow, brown, and spotted leaves, your plant is talking to you as its doctor, asking for help. Yellow leaves can be caused by pests, overwatering, underwatering, or not enough sun. If you’ve eliminated those, you are probably dealing with Chlorosis, a lack of chlorophyll, and a deficiency of potassium, iron, and, most importantly, nitrogen. If it starts at the base of the plant and moves up, it’s definitely a lack of nitrogen. Fertilize with an organic fertilizer, unless it’s extreme, in which case you need a fast-release chemical solution.Critter Control
Rabbits, deer, squirrels, and other wildlife are adorable—until they begin to feast on your garden before you can. Very often, new plants are the tastiest and the most vulnerable, so use a plant protector until the plants become established.When it comes to critter control, many people start with repellents. These can be liquid or granular products that are pungent, smelly, or bitter-tasting, like Snake-A-Way. Others use visual deterrents, ranging from plastic owls to corn-protecting scarecrows that are for more than just Halloween. More modern devices include ground-vibrating spikes and motion-activated sprinklers.
To deter more determined critters, consider deer fencing, chicken wire, hardware cloth, or vinyl-coated metal fencing at least three feet tall. For rodents, rabbits, groundhogs, and other creatures that will try to go underneath the fence, consider burying boards, that you can then build a fence on, or a fence that goes at least 12 inches below ground. Birds, squirrels, and other climbers may require netting stretched over the garden.
Let your pets participate as well. Groundhogs hate barking dogs, while cats have long been used to deter small rodents, including voles and chipmunks.
