10 Organic Ways to Control Pests in the Garden

In this video, I show you my 10 top organic ways to get rid of pests in your garden. There's no need for harsh pesticides or chemicals just these simple tips to grow lots of fruit and vegetables!

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Self Sufficient Me is based on our small 3-acre property/homestead in SE Queensland Australia about 45kms north of Brisbane - the climate is subtropical (similar to Florida). I started Self Sufficient Me in 2011 as a blog website project where I document and write about backyard food growing, self-sufficiency, and urban farming in general. I love sharing my foodie and DIY adventures online so come along with me and let's get into it! Cheers, Mark :)

[leekserious]

6:59 We got to appreciate him taking his time to get dressed, put make up on, walk through a forest just to prove a point that he wasn’t in war
And it all took 3 seconds

[boosiewoosie]

Mix olive oil, mint, lemon juice, ground garlic, cayenne/chili pepper...let it sit for a couple days...spray all over your garden...insects avoid the concoction and plants love it...zero chemicals...your welcome.

[littleblackfox]

Ive watched the route my possum takes every night and found it tends to walk along the back fence. So I put a shelf up on the fence and every night I leave "sacrifices to the possum god" as my boyfriend puts it. Usually just fruit scraps, tomatos or any fruit I find with bug holes, or old fruit/veg from the fridge.

Its a good way to not waste it and I find it completely distracts the possum so it doesnt go for my vege patch. Plus its a win win for everyone! because I got to see her with her baby only a few nights ago enjoying some mouldy strawberries I left in the fridge for too long 🙂

[blackprincegt]

I stand in my garden and yell hateful words and obscenities directed towards the pests. Works really well and I've only had the police commit me under the mental health Act once

[lspthrattan]

Your advice about keeping chickens to eat the bugs is spot-on. I remember asking an old farmer in his eighties, about forty years ago, why a particular field was fenced with mesh instead of just barbed wire, as was customary. He told me that when he was a boy his family would plant that field with cotton, and as soon as the seedlings were big enough they would turn their herd of geese loose in that field. The geese ate all the bugs and weeds, but not the cotton, and probably left a good bit of fertilizer in the field in the process. Later they had nice fat geese to sell. I'm glad some of us are still keeping the good old ways alive. They worked then, they work now.

[naturegirl]

I’ve used Vaseline on the stem of cucumber plants and was the first time I actually got heaps of cucumbers. Thanks for the tip.

[becool]

You know, I think this guy is just like an all round nice chap. Like one of those few genuinely nice people.

[wdanielsimmons]

We finally found a way to control animals in our garden (such as raccoons, possums, and deer), and it is cheap, simple and effective. After struggling for years watching raccoons eat up virtually all of our apples we finally decided to try using fencing a different way. By laying it down on the ground around the trees they were completely thwarted. We like to use something like chicken wire or something slightly more heavy duty, but it should be unstable for them to walk on, and it's also great if it has wires that can poke the feet of possums and 'coons (for deer the less stability that it has the better). All animals are careful to take care of their feet (and I think that they are a little suspicious about such man-made obstacles), but since we wear shoes we don't have any problem stepping on the fencing. Anyway, it has saved our apple harvests as well as our roses from our animal friends.

[Yora]

In commercial gardening, we call sacrificial plants Indicator Plants. When pests are in the area, they will first swarm the indicator plant that they prefer over your crop, and you can see them showing severe damage before your crop is being affected. This can give you very valuable time if you want to fight the pests before the crop gets damaged.

[Pinewoodpine]

That's 16 minutes well spent. It was like watching the Arts of War: Garden Edition.

[raininthespringtime]

Nothing cooler than a well informed guy with a sense of humor 😉😆😆😉... Thanks so much for the info!

[sharriceowens]

1:26 healthy..they target sick or dying plants
2:00 growing at right time of year
3:00 harvest early
4:00 grow more
4:50 remove by hand
5:30 chicken and ducks eat pest
7:30 diversity instead of 1 massive crop
8:20 organic sprays, ring of vasiline
11:00 bio bugs like lady bugs
12:30 netting
Raised beds and dogs

[torphotographic]

"Pick your crop early" The number of times I have walked around my garden and thought that's nearly ready I will that pick tonight only to go back and find a pest has beaten me to it. This is great advice. I don't mind sharing a little of my crop but too often the local bird life can just decimate produce that I have worked so hard for.

[crism]

Hi Mark, I know this is old video but, wanted to share. Here in Colorado I had terrible time with cabbage moth and tomato worms every year until I found this trick!! I use cayenne pepper when my plants are young. I sprinkle the cayenne pepper directly onto the plants and when the moth butterflies come around to lay eggs they either get burned when landing on the plant or get confused by the smell of the plant. When I direct sprinkle on the plant, I use just a little not to burn the plants. I also use it when planting peas and beans, sprinkle in ground, place seeds, cover, water, no more cut worms, or Rolly Polly's. However, I do loose a few worms. I also sprinkle on my corn when the silk appears, no more ear pincher bugs. You can also make it into a liquid spray. 1/4 cup powdered cayenne per gallon of water. Take 1 cup into spray bottle add another cup of water shake and spray. All organic. Disclaimer: may not work in all areas of country or world, just have to try to see if it works in your area.

[sdb]

I love how you put the names of the plants throughout the video, even if they are just in the background. You have a beautiful garden! For pests, I use neem oil mixed with water and spray it on with a pump mister.

[vanjames]

Hello Mark, I come from VietNam where we are learning how to develop organic agriculture. I was so happy when watching the videos on your channel. Great. I am a university student in agriculture of Vietnam and I look forward to learning more stories from you. Hope I can contact you 🙂🙂🙂

[kimbeckner]

Farmers near us in Canada, will actually plant a couple rows of sweet corn around the exterior of their field and cattle corn inside. This stops the raccoons at the outside edge and prevents them from attacking their crops. So, sacrificial plants are a GREAT organic method of controlling predators. <3. Thanks for sharing these tips

[NopeAndYep]

Back when I was in Nam... Hahaha. Like the camo paint, the Rambo of gardening!

[thomasdedman]

Your attitude is contagious, thank you for the smiles!

[radosvetav]

Instead of vaseline, builder's lime (Calcium hydroxide) is used very often here in Bulgaria. You just paint the trunk of tree up to about a meter from the ground, so climbing pests can't go up. Needs refreshing two or three times a year.