Safe Organic Gardening
Getting the Right Balance Between Pest Control and Nature
As an organic gardener not wishing to use chemicals where possible I try to work with Nature to establish a safe organic eco-system. An eco-system that’s organically safe for wildlife, pets and humans and which provides me with sufficient harvests from my back garden to feed us most of the year. This is achieved through Organic Pest Control without too greater a crop loss to those little critters that looks like little aliens when viewed under the magnifying glass.
If these little creatures, whose sole purpose in life seems to be to breed in order to eat as much of your precious crops as they can so as breed more of themselves, didn’t look so ugly to us Homo sapiens we might, just might, have more qualms about trying to control them.
I feel that all life is precious, including those pesky pests (provided they don’t overrun my garden), so in pest control I’m probably more tolerant than many other gardeners in allowing these little bugs their own meagre existence provided they don’t take more than their fair share of my garden.
Therefore, the five methods (five simple ways) to pest control in an organic garden are highlighted and discussed in this article; these being my main weapons of pest control when battling with these creatures of nature. For organically safe pest control ways to maintain a healthy and naturally balanced organic garden in a controlled and balanced way by working with nature and not upsetting the natural eco system which over the years I’ve managed to create and maintain in my own little back garden.
1. Wildlife Pond
To Encourage Natural Predators of Pests
Working with Nature to Create an Eco System
This is my first line of defence, working with nature to build up and maintain an eco-system that encourages and benefits wildlife, and in return the natural wildlife helps to control my garden of unwanted pests.
When I say wildlife pond I mean a pond for wildlife rather than fish in that fish take valuable food and oxygen from the pond without contributing to its eco-system; and are rather prone to eat some of the pond wildlife anyway.
The sort of wildlife I’m interested in attracting to the pond include toads, frogs and newts as its inhabitants; and birds, hedgehogs and foxes as friendly visitors to the garden, encouraged by the pond as a fresh water source. All these beneficial creatures to the organic gardener encouraged to visit your garden or live there because of your wildlife pond, enjoy a morsel or two of what to us are pest in the garden and thus are most welcome to my garden.
Admittedly some species of birds may be more interested in your vegetable crops than the pests on them but the only problem I’ve had with that was the blueberry bushes, which I resolved by relocating the bushes to in front of a south facing fence; which has deterred the birds, presumably as it restricts their sight and flight in the event of danger.
Some may wonder what benefit urban foxes are to the organic gardener, but what most people may not know is that invertebrates (including slugs and snails) is an important part of the foxes diet. Studies have shown that invertebrates is over 15% of the urban foxes diet in Bristol and more than 20% of their diet in London.
Sink or Swim
Since I’ve created a wildlife pond for my garden, other than during long wet summers, the slug and snail population has declined to manageable levels. So much so that all the surrounding neighbours (who have informed me of a noticeable increase of frogs in their garden) have since ceased using slug pellets because they have also noticed a significant drop in slugs and snails in their gardens.
I have respect for all life so although slugs and snails can be a pest, provided they don’t venture onto my vegetable crops I’m more than happy to leave their fate in the hands (or rather paws and mouths) of the beneficial creatures attracted to my garden by the wildlife pond.
