Make it easier
Putting up netting around plants can be quite physically challenging to do properly, particularly if it is a big area. This is a good activity to work with someone else on.
In spring and summer, our gardens burst into life. Unfortunately, we are not the only ones admiring our gardens! Many hungry creatures of all sizes make an appearance at the same time.
For some, the question of 'what is a garden pest' is similar to 'what is a weed'. It's simply a creature you don't want in your garden. Or, not in a huge volume. Some gardeners might do their best to live side by side with nature. But, some garden creatures can do a lot of damage to our flowers and food produce. It can be very disappointing to put a plant in place one day, only to discover there's only a stalk left the next day!
Here we share advice on how to control some of the most common garden pests.
Blackflies are tiny aphids. They can be found covering the underside of leaves and stems - particularly on beans. They draw out sap from the plant, which can weaken it and lead to misshapen produce.
There are plenty of natural controls for blackfly. Predators that eat blackfly include ladybirds, hoverfly larvae and wasps. Ants are also known to harvest blackfly and will often be seen going about their business among them. If you can keep the numbers of blackfly in your garden fairly low in spring, nature may lend enough of a helping hand for the rest of the growing season.
You could produce your own homemade organic control. Mix garlic and washing up liquid with water. This can be sprayed on plants to keep blackfly away. Try not to do this when plants are in flower, or the scent may confuse potential pollinators.
Another simple way to control blackfly is to brush them off using your hands. Wear gloves when doing this. You're quite likely to squash some blackfly and they produce a surprisingly large amount of gunky residue.
Many gardeners grow plants to actively encourage butterflies into the garden. But, if you are growing food in particular, you might want to take steps to stop it being eaten by caterpillars.
One of the greatest culprits is the caterpillar of the cabbage white butterfly. As the name suggests, it thrives on your cabbages, where the butterfly lays its eggs. It also enjoys other brassicas, like broccoli and kale, along with turnips, swedes and more.
To control the munching of the caterpillar, you need to prevent butterflies laying eggs on your growing food produce. The easiest way to do this is to have netting around your plants. Get the netting in place early in the growth of your plants so the plants are covered before the butterflies can land and lay eggs. When putting netting in place, avoid netting touching the edges of the leaves, or it might still be possible for eggs to be laid.
If you are looking for a netting alternative, you can buy pathogenic nematodes online. These are a biological (living) form of control, which means no chemicals are involved. They are most effective in damp conditions, so remember to water your plants once released.
Putting up netting around plants can be quite physically challenging to do properly, particularly if it is a big area. This is a good activity to work with someone else on.
For many, slugs and snails are one of the most challenging garden pests. In wet conditions, they can lay waste to many of our best planting efforts.
Gardeners will often have their tried and tested tips for what they use to try and deter slugs and snails. For example:
In our experience, these can have varying levels of success. None of them is a miracle cure, unfortunately.
If you turn to a chemical solution, there are slug pellets on the market. Chemical pellets can have a bad effect on other garden creatures, like birds, which can mistakenly swallow the pellets. As an alternative, wool pellets are organic and biodegradable and do less harm to surrounding wildlife.
Slugs are also a favourite food of birds, toads and hedgehogs. Encouraging them into your garden can help naturally keep slug numbers down.
There is also the option of staying up late with a torch at night and collecting them. But, then you have the dilemma of what to do with a box full of slugs!
Pigeons can easily take a fancy to your plants. They are prone to ripping off leaves until all you are left with is bare stalks.
To deter pigeons, netting is the best bet again. It's a good way to stop this feathered foe from nibbling your vegetable leaves.
Spotting a rat in the garden is rarely an enjoyable sight. The best way to avoid rats in the garden is to make sure there's nothing that attracts them.
Make sure your compost bins are secure. Don't put meat or dairy products in them, as these can entice rats. Make sure any bird feeders are not overspilling with food too. Rats are very able to climb up to a bird feeder if they can then access the food in it.
If you are spotting rats frequently in your garden, you can contact your local council for advice.
You might like the sight of squirrels in the garden. They can create a bit of havoc in the winter and spring. They can dig up your bulbs if they're not too deep. They can also dig up young plants as they try to bury nuts and other food.
To deter squirrels, you could hang broken pieces of cd. This works because squirrels do not like shiny objects. At Thrive, we also hang all kinds of other shiny objects to keep squirrels away - lengths of tinfoil wrapped around string, the odd toy windmill and even tinsel!
Some gardeners recommend sprinkling cayenne or chilli pepper around plants to deter them.
It's hard to go a year in the garden without some of your plants getting chomped, even when controls are in place. Try not to feel too disheartened and accept that other creatures need to eat too! It makes a great topic of conversation to have with others, finding out their best tricks for controlling garden pests.
Learning to identify weeds is a useful skill for every gardener. We look at some of the most common ones.
