Organic Gardener

Controlling Diseases and Pests

There are a number of sound organic principles gardeners can use to keep diseases, infections and pests under control in the garden.

General good gardening

Many methods of organic control in the garden are simply examples of sound gardening practice

Garden Cleanliness
Carry over of pests and diseases from season to season can be prevented by good garden maintenance. A good compost heap can help kill of disease in older dead plants and methods such as winter digging can expose hibernating pests to predatory birds and ground insects.

Companion Planting
Is described as the growing of two or more different species of plant together for the benefit of one or both. For example many adult insects visit flowers for pollen and nectar and can be effective natural controllers of other unwanted pests.

Using natural predators

A fundamental part of maintaining an organic garden is allowing the natural predators that exist in the wider environment to thrive.

Many animals in the garden feed on pests. Ladybirds and their larvae are amongst the hardest workers, helping to control green fly as well as aphids. Mixing flowering plants with fruit and vegetables encourages predators such as parasitic wasps and hoverflies. It is important to recognise these natural predators and encourage their existence.

Barriers and deterrents

Barriers around gardens certainly arent new and have been in use for centuries. However the use of barriers etc to control insects and smaller pests are relatively new.

Simple methods such as hanging shiny silver objects in the sunlight can confuse insects such as aphid which orient their flight patters by sunlight. Medium nesh netting can also be effective in keeping out smaller birds etc from fruit growing areas of the garden.

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