How to Achieve a Pest-Free Garden Naturally

Joy Taves is a Master Gardener from Great Falls, MT and is especially interested in perennial plants. Two of her favorites, and two best suited to be grown in Montana, are the coneflower (Echinacea) and coral bells (Heuchara). These plants are hardy to zone 3 (or 4 for coral bells) and are deer resistant: part of the reason Joy enjoys them so much.  They naturally attract songbirds and other birds into the garden. While birds are pretty to look at, they also help naturally manage pests in the garden.

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"I look for perennials that will provide color for long periods of time. The coral bell foliage provides beautiful color from spring through the first fall frost. The coneflower blooms most of the summer."

Joy was kind enough to shed some insight on how to properly manage pests in the garden.

"You know," she tells me in her office with sheets of information on bugs spread between us, "95% of bugs in a garden are healthy bugs. When someone sees an ant, the first response is sometimes a general chemical pesticide."

This is a bad idea.

"You kill 95% of bugs in your garden, and you actually open your garden to real infestation. Kill lady bugs and aphids are unchecked, and you disrupt the whole chain. Then it is something you always have to manage."

She provided some tips on how to keep your garden naturally pest free:

Prevention is the easiest way to prevent insect damage. A healthy garden is the best defense.

Build healthy organic soil. Natural composting methods help build healthy soil.

Supplement. Kelp meal contains trace elements such as iron, zinc, barium, calcium, sulfur and magnesium, which promote healthy development in plants. Repels slugs and makes strong plants stronger.

Keep it clean. Clear garden area of debris and weeds. Insects breed in refuse. Use these tools to make that job easier.

Mix it up! Interplant and rotate crops. When plantings are mixed, pests are less likely to spread throughout a crop. Rotate every year and avoid pests which over-winter in your bed.

Water early. Wet foliage encourages insect fungal damage to your plants. Water in the morning so the plant can dry during the day. Try a drip-irrigation method to water the root, not the foliage.

Disinfect your tools.  Like a hospital, sterilize your tools if you've worked with infected plants or even just when moving garden areas.

Beneficial insects are bugs that control pest populations to keep your garden healthy in a natural way.

Red worms
Build a worm bin into your compost pile
Praying mantis
Lady bugs

Non-toxic homemade remedies

Mites, Aphids and Mealybugs: mix 1 tbsp. canola oil and a few drops of ivory soap in 1 qt. water. Spray plant from above down and from below up.  The oil will smother the insects.

Earwigs, slugs and other soft bodied garden pests:  Use diatomaceous earth over plants and edges of garden beds.  The particles are sharp and small and insects cannot become immune to it. It's a mechanical killer: not a chemical one.

Insects and Fungal Diseases: Combine 1 tbsp. of cooking oil, two tbsp. of baking soda and a few drops of ivory soap into a quart of water and apply. Pour into a spray bottle and spray affected areas.

Looking for organic soil supplements you can order online?

Traps and barriers

Yellow flypaper is effective in the garden for aphids and whiteflies.  Any board or heavy paper painted yellow and coated with a sticky substance such as Tanglefoot will do the job.

Thank you to, Joy Taves for this interview and advice. Joy is a Master Gardener from Great Falls, MT.