Planting organic produce is an environmentally friendly way to enjoy sustainable food. A garden that includes tomatoes or other nutritious foods can give the body a boost in antioxidants. Urban gardeners generally have good intentions when it comes to growing sustainable foods. However, the organic gardens that are carefully planted without the use of chemical agents are the ones that do not share in spreading harmful toxins into the environment. One of the most challenging aspects of gardening is dealing with pests. Fortunately, garden pests are being conquered without harmful chemicals.
1. Cutworms
Unlike other garden pests that attack organic tomatoes and other produce, cutworms do not just target the plant leaves. They attack garden plants where it really hurts, the soil line. Cutworms have been known to feed on plant foliage, eat holes in plant roots, and even cut off the seedlings of your plants. Personal pest control has proven to be especially effective for small urban gardens. Cutworms are picked from plants by hand. If they continue to attack below the soil line, the top layer of soil is uncovered to pick them out. Urban gardeners with larger crops may also spray Sevin on their plants. Sevin is environmentally friendly and does not penetrate the plant tissue.
2. Aphids
Aphids can rapidly spread disease throughout an entire garden. They cause the plants in an organic garden to weaken by sucking nutrients from the plant tissues. A natural way to reduce the presence of aphids is by encouraging and protecting resident ladybugs. Ladybugs prey on aphids, and they are very effective helpers. When ladybugs are welcomed to a garden, sustainable produce can remain pest free.
3. Gnats
Gnats are eliminated with a very simple and chemical-free method: water regulation.
Fungus Gnats invade organic gardens with over-watered soil. With a good schedule, gnat invasion are avoided. When gnats are already present, decomposed plants are quickly eradicated and watering is regulated.
Creatures like chickens, geese, bats, and ducks keep away a lot of the troublesome pests that invade organic gardens. Pests are also be controlled with flowers. Flowers such as daisies, coneflower, clover, cosmos, dill, yarrow, angelica, and fennel taste bad to many pests.
Only the invaded garden spots are sprayed with an environmentally safe repellent. If the entire garden is sprayed, helpful insects will be eliminated too. Some organic gardeners plant a little extra sustainable produce in addition to their main garden. This way, if some plants are lost to pests, there are backup plants to compensate for the loss.
Thanks to urban gardening, sustainable gardens are popping up everywhere. With careful monitoring, organic gardens can delight humans and harmonize with the environment.
