Lately, it seems like everywhere you turn, you see new organic products popping up. As a culture, we've become obsessed with organic vegetables, organic cleaning products and clothing made from organic fibers. However, anyone who's ever grown an organic garden knows how difficult it can be to produce these products effectively - especially in the garden, where pests can be your biggest problem. Here are a few easy ways to prevent garden bugs the natural way:

Know Your Plants

The first step in organic pest control is to get to know the plants you're growing and which specific bugs are attracted to them. By identifying the type of bugs you're most likely to encounter, you can develop a specific pest control plan that meets the needs of your garden. In fact, preventing garden bugs may be as easy as planting a complementary variety nearby. For example - planting daisies and mint attracts helpful insects that will kill off the predatory pests.

When planning your garden, choose native species over imported varieties whenever possible. Native species have better "immune systems" to the common insects in your area than an exotic plant will have. You can also purchase varieties of common garden plants that have been bred to be disease resistant. It's up to you as the gardener, but some people feel that purchasing genetically modified plants goes against the values of organic gardening.

Do the Dirty Work

If you want to keep your organic garden healthy and pest-free, you've got to get down on your hands and knees and do the dirty work. First of all, it's important to maintain healthy soil with natural additives like compost and mulch. You can also add nutrients by tilling old plants into the soil and rotating your crops each year. Soil that is dry and deficient in nutrients is more prone to having pest problems.

It's also important to get up close and personal with your plants. Learn what they look like when they're healthy and when they aren't. Also, since you already know which pests are most likely to be a problem, learn what the first signs of their infestation look like. By working closely with your plants when you weed and hoe, you'll catch these symptoms early on, making it easier to deal with the problems.

Experiment with Natural Pesticides

Did you know that ants don't like cucumber? Or that the Thai lemon grass plant is a natural mosquito repellent? There's a wealth of information on natural pest control remedies on the internet, so if you're facing a specific insect problem, get on the web and search for non-toxic pest control solutions. You might be surprised how easy and inexpensive it is to control pests the natural way!

Organic gardening is a great way to help protect the environment by limiting the chemicals we introduce into nature. However, many gardeners fear that controlling insects without the use of pesticides will be too difficult to manage. With these simple and easy techniques for identifying and preventing pest problems, your organic garden will remain healthy and fruitful.

Written by: Organic Gardening Staff Writer - Copyright Organic-Gardening.net all rights reserved

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