Ecological Pest Control Part 1

My parents gave me the book "Ecological Gardening" by Marjorie Harris and it is a GREAT resource to have on hand. She gives advice on creating /maintaining healthy soil, on composting, and on good vs bad creatures that might visit your garden. I thought I'd include some advice on pests / diseases here, taken from her book:

DEER (probably only relevant to my mom)
* spray plants with a solution of 6 fresh eggs to 4 litres water. This can also be put around the base of trees, and on grasses or shrubs. Renew after rain.
* Break a whole egg under rose bushes.
* apparently "Lifebuoy" soap, suspended in pantyhose and hung around the perimter repels them
* of course human pee always works....

RABBITS
* a fence might keep them out
* scatter onions, blood meal, cayenne pepper, and/or wood ashes around the plants

CATS
Cats will not only use your garden as a bathroom, they may also take to napping on your plants (mine has)
* try putting sticks or pointed rocks around your plants or where you want to keep the cats from going - it makes your garden a lot less comfy
* my own note about using cayenne pepper - people recommend it, but it really irritates the mucus membranes of animals like cats and squirrels, and there have been reports of squirrels tearing their eyes because they've been scratching at their burning eyes.

RACCOONS
* blood meal around plants will apparently deter them. Renew after rain or watering
*flashing lights and cat pee will keep them out of your garden (maybe let your cat pee in your garden after all??)
*apparently a FLIMSY fence around a vegetable patch will deter them... as they climb the fence it wobbles and they fall off once they get to the top

BUGS & OTHER MOVING PESTS

*In general, try to keep your garden area clean of plant debris and dead leaves. Try not to let water collect (unless it is for the good bugs or birds to drink from) and try not to let wet stuff hang around.
* A strong spray of water will often knock most pests off your plants
* Try a soap solution ( 1 tsp Ivory soap or any pure soap - not detergent which burns - with 1/2 litre water) and spray it on your plants
* asparagus juice sprayed on tomato leaves protects them from bad nematodes
* marigolds planted near tomato plants protects them from the same nematodes
* Garlic spray will kill most pests. To make it, soak 3 to 4 chopped fresh garlic cloves in 2 Tbsp mineral oil for a day. Add 1/2 litre water and stir, then strain it. Use in a ratio of 1:20 garlic to water and spray on your plants.
* If you add a small chopped onion to the above mixture it will make an effective general spray.
* Rose protecting spray: Chop up some tomato leaves, soak in water then strain. You can also boil the leaves in water, let cool then strain. Spraying on your rose plants will destroy black or green flies, caterpillers or aphids. If you plant garlic or parsley near your roses this will also help protect them from things like aphids.
*slugs can be handpicked from your plants in the evening or early morning (look under leaves and mulch for them, too, as they like a moist dark place to spend their days) and stepped on. They will also drown in beer - put a saucer of beer in your garden, with the lip of the saucer level with the soil. They crawl in, drink and drown. Marjorie Harris also says that powdered ginger sprinkled around your plants will deter slugs.

Next post I'll describe some methods for specific pests / diseases / conditions.