My-Garden-World Blog

The bugs and diseases are coming!

Now (or soon) our newly planted garden will be growing and we can take a rest. In eager anticipation, we await for a fantastic bounty for our efforts. Right!

WRONG!

That would be nice, but it just doesn’t work that way. There are mounds of threats out there just waiting to either compete with your new arrivals or to munch on the delicacies soon to arrive. There are choices to make now. The alternative is to hope for the best and let the bugs, grass, weeds, and diseases do their thing.

  Assuming that the “do nothing” alternative is really not a choice, what should we do?  Prevention is the best first step. Like our own health, the same is true for the garden. It is much better to “nip the problem in the bud” before it becomes a big problem.

Consider some prevention measures:

• Keep plants healthy. Monitor plant growth being aware of any signs of disease, wilt, or pest and take appropriate action.
• Keep the garden clean. Remove or till out grass and weeds as they first appear. Remove any dead plants. Decaying foliage attracts diseases and unwanted pests.
• Plant host plants. There are many plants that attract helpful insects that do not harm the garden and will devour those insects that are harmful. For example, marigolds attract lady bugs that love to dine on aphids.

I have been doing some research (USDA, EPA, etc.) gathering actual facts regarding the use of pesticides in the home garden. You might say the “pros and cons” of using synthetic pesticides. Does this sound like something you might be interested in reading about? Please leave a comment (vote) as to whether or not.

‘Til next time,

Poppy

www.my-garden-world.com

marvin@my-garden-world.com