ANNA TELLS ABOUT GETTING RID OF BUGS IN YOUR GARDEN

Folks have asked about keeping bugs from eating their vegetables and flowers.  Again, there are many different things us Amish and the Old Order Mennonite use. One thing you must remember before you start is that there are many " good bugs " that help your plants like ladybugs, bees and butterflies.

One of my favorites is epsom salt.  I put it around the base of the plants to keep the bugs away.

Epsom Salt
1 cup epsom salt
5 gallons of water

It is especially good on tomatoes, peppers and onions to make them pungent, but I use it on all my plants.    I spray it around the base.  Spray it the first time right after you plant them and then after every rain.

Another one that is used by us Amish is tobacco.  As Elmer and none of our children smoke, I have not used this in a long time, but I remember my Grandmother use to.  I have been told it makes an excellent insect repellent.

Tobacco

Get a large pail, pan, etc.  Soak cigarette and cigar butts until it looks like a brown tea.  Soak the ground around plants to get rid of lice, bugs and cutworms.  You can also spray the tobacco juice on plants for aphids and other bugs.

Pennyroyal

Strewing pennyroyal plants around where ants are will get rid of them.

Cucumber Peels -spreading them around your garden will kill ants.  If you place the peels where ants enter your home that should get rid of the ants.

Herbs

I really didn't want to go to long, but Marilyn said to go ahead - keep going. So I will.  Another natural way to get rid of bugs is herbs.  If you plant herbs in your garden, they will repel bugs. One important thing to consider when planting herbs is to avoid planting two heavy feeders or two shallow rooted plant types near each other.

Basil is companion with tomatoes, dislikes rue, and repelled flies and mosquitoes.

Borage is companion with tomatoes, squash and strawberries and repelled tomato worm.

Catnip is companion with eggplant and repelled flea beetle and ants.

Coniander repelled aphids.

Dead Nettle is companion with potatoes and repelled potato bug.

Feverfew is companion with roses and repelled aphids away from roses.

Flax is companion with carrots and potatoes and repelled potato bug.

Garlic is companion with roses raspberries and repelled aphids, Japanese Beetle.

Horseradish is companion with potatoes and repelled potato bugs.

Henbit repelled most bugs.

Hyssop is companion with cabbage, grapes but dislikes radishes and repelled cabbage moth.

Lavender repelled moths-combine with southernwood wormwood, and rosemary in an antimoth  sachet.

Marigolds can be planted throughout the garden and repelled Mexican Been Beetles, nematodes and others.

Mint is companion with cabbage and tomatoes and repelled white cabbage moth, aphids, flea beetles.

Mole Pant repelled moles and mice.

Nasturtium is companion with radishes, cabbages, cucurbits, fruit trees and repelled aphids, squash bugs, striped pumpkin beetle.

Pennyroyal is companion with roses and repelled flies, mosquitoes, fleas and more.

Pot Marigold is companion with tomatoes and repelled tomato worms, asparagus beetles and more.

Pyrethrums - you can use dried flower heads as a general insect repellent.

Rosemary is companion with cabbage, beans carrots, sage and repelled cabbage moth, bean beetle, carrot fly.

Rue is companion with roses, raspberries, but dislikes sweet basil and repelled Japanese Beetle.

Sage is companion with rosemary carrots, cabbage but dislikes cucumbers and repelled cabbage moth, carrot fly, flea, beetle, slugs.

Southernwood is companion to cabbages and repelled Cabbage Moth.

Summer Savory is companion with beans and repelled Beans Beetle.

Tansy is companion with fruit trees, roses raspberries and repelled flying insects. Japanese Beetles, Striped Cucumber Beetles, Squash Bugs, Ants, Flies.

Thyme is companion to cabbage and repelled cabbage worm.

Woodworm can be planted as a border to keep animals out of the garden.

Yarrow should be planted near aromatic herbs to enhance the production of essential oils.

I hope some of these help you against your bugs. Will answer more questions next week.

Trust God's Wisdom,
Anna