7 natural ways to keep pests away from your garden

A lot of us know how to handle ticks, but what about other insects lurking outside? I would hate to use pesticides or other chemicals, primarily to prevent children or pets from any exposure to them. However, there are some natural ways that will not only deal with insect pests, but they will also help you make the garden look better.

Too many mosquitoes? You don’t really need to buy an insect spray or citronella candles. Instead, plant marigold which is often used as ingredient of insect repellents. The smell of the flowers scares insects away and that is why a few pots of marigold on your patio will absolutely do. Marigold also repels pests that damage vegetables and other plants, including tomatoes.

Mix one glass of vegetable oil with a quarter of a glass of liquid soap. Then dissolve the mixture with four glasses of water. Pour it all into a spray bottle and spread all over the plant. Apply the mixture every 5 – 7 days. Oil repels such soft insects us dust mite or aphids. Soap is sticky and captures insects in one place.

If your biggest problem that’s snails, then sprinkle some flour over the plants. Use it in areas which are worst affected by the pests, and these little bugs will stay away from your lovely flowers. Flour is toxic for snails, but it is completely safe for people and plants.

This product effectively repels snails and insects from your garden. Dissolve a glass Epson salt in five litres of water and pour it into a spray bottle. Sprinkle all plants affected by snails. If you don’t want to prepare the spray, sprinkle some salt around the plant, at its base (do it every couple of weeks). As Epson salt is rich in magnesium, it will help your plants absorb the nutritional substances from the environment.

Crush 5 cloves of garlic and mix it with two glasses of water. Let it sit for about 6 hours. Add some soap and drain it all. Next add 3.5 litres of water and pour it into a spray bottle.

Spray it all over the plants once or twice a week. Remember that the spray will kill off all insects on its way, so if you want some butterflies or bees to survive, use it carefully.

Aphids are some of the most harmful insects in your garden. This solution, however, will let you do away with them easily. Pour 700 ml of water into a pot and bring it to a boiling point. Then add the peel of one lemon. Take it off the cooker and let it sit for the night. Drain the liquid and pour it into a spray bottle. Apply the solution upon two sides of leaves and aphids will leave your plants alone.

Essential oils are fantastic insect repellents.

Rosemary: flies, fleas, mosquitoes, larva

Peppermint: aphids, bed bugs, ants, spiders, beetles, fleas.

Thyme: ticks, cockroaches and other biting insects

Clove spice: flying insects

Cedar and pine: snails

You can also prepare a universal insect repellent. Take a spoonful of vodka, 10 drops of lemon oil, 10 drops of eucalyptus oil. 10 drops of cedar tree oil and 3,5 litre of

water. Pour it into a spray bottle and off you go to your garden!