How can I prevent bugs from getting in my garden?
Question:I have a garden with assorted plants, like flowers and herbs and veggies. The problem is that I am also planting strawberries, but ants or some kind of bug can bite parts of it. Are there any ways in which I can prevent this?
Answers:
There are too many good bugs to want to get rid of them all. Those 'bite marks' are probably slugs. Keep the ground around your berries free of dead vegetation like leaves and such. It makes great hiding places for slugs. Sprinkle some lime on the ground around the strawberries. If you don't have lime, crushed egg shells work too. I've heard they don't like to cross over copper wire, so you could use old wiring stripped of its plastic and make little rings around each plant. You can also catch & drown the slugs by leaving a jar lid filled with beer and half burried into the soil so they can easily climb in. Empty the jar in the morning and refill before night time. They are noctunal ( active at night).
To keep the bug population under control, make your garden bird friendly and place a few feeders and water baths around. They love dining on slugs & bugs!
If you use Seven Garden Dust it will get rid of them.
No
A natural way is to buy and release lady bugs.
Don't worry about a few bugs, they have to eat too!
bug-b-gon max! wait 2 to 3 weeks before harvesting the veggies!
Spray the plants with a solution made of water and dish soap. The soap will cover the breathing holes on the bugs and smother them. It works great and is non-toxic. I've also mixed Tobasco sauce, garlic juice and cooking oil in, that repels birds and rabbits. It will also make your yard smell like a salad. Just add a little bit of each to a couple of gallons of water in a flood sprayer and soak down the leaves once a week or so.
More Related Questions & Answers...