I’m growing tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers for my first time not on a balcony, and I’m a tad concerned about caterpillars, squirrels, and other wildlife finding their way to my crops; that said, I would like to keep my space as earth friendly as possible, so chemical pesticides are out. I’ve read blog articles about trimming the lowest branches to prevent disease and planting trap crops such as nasturtiums and marigolds to lure pests away from the tomatoes. Do these techniques actually work? How do other gardeners handle this situation?

  • Sualtam@lemmus.orgEnglish
    8·
    1 month ago

    Basically it boils down to three main methods:

    1. Planting plnts in between that deter pests like leeches (also onion, garlic) and herbs etc.
    2. Using herbal infusions from plants like burn7ng nettle or those containing mustard oil.
    3. Attracting pest predators. This goes all the way from buying eggs of vertibrates (careful to not introduce invasive species) to just making your garden bird and bat friendly.
    • Convict45@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      1 month ago

      And importantly, you have to have insects before you get insect predators. So if you’ve recently stopped spraying, predators will be slow to return. But they will!