Best Organic Insecticides for a Vegetable Garden
When it comes to having a vegetable garden, there are several things you need to take care of. From ensuring that your plants receive the right amount of sunlight to watering them to harvesting, hundreds of big and small things play a crucial role in gardening. And choosing the best organic insecticides for a vegetable garden is one of them.
When it comes to insecticides, a large variety of options are available. However, not all insecticides are suitable for your vegetable garden. Some of them can harm your vegetables and make them unfit for consumption. Organic insecticides come into the picture.
This article will walk you through some of the best organic insecticides for a vegetable garden that will make organic gardening easier for you. Read on!
7 Best Organic Insecticides for a Vegetable Garden
Choosing the right organic insecticide is vital if you have a vegetable garden or are planning to start one. It helps keep bugs and pests at bay and prevents you from contaminating your delicious vegetables.
All the insecticides mentioned in this blog post are super effective. We have reviewed several products (and prepared some of them, too) before coming up with this list of the top 7 insect repelling garden sprays. So you will not have to go through the confusing process of searching and selecting the products yourself.
With that said, here’s our list of the top 7 best organic insecticides for a vegetable garden:
Neem Oil
Neem oil is one of the best and most natural products that you can use for keeping insects away from your vegetable garden. As it is obtained from the neem tree – found in South Asian countries, primarily India – neem oil does not contain any toxic elements. It is 100% safe and organic and can help you get rid of all kinds of soft-bodied insects.
However, you must remember that neem oil has a bitter taste. So, when you spray it on your vegetables and leafy greens, its bitter taste may linger on them for a long while.
You can mix one ounce of neem oil with one gallon of water and spray it mixture on the surface of your plants. You can put the liquid in a spray bottle or garden hose and use it easily.
Neem oil can be used to get rid of the following insects:
- Snails
- Flies
- Aphids
- Cabbage worms
- Mosquitoes, and more!
Garlic Spray
Garlic spray is another 100% organic insecticide you can prepare at home. All you need to do is have at least 12 – 15 garlic cloves, 5 – 6 drops of organic liquid dish soap, and ¼ gallon of water.
Make garlic puree and strain it out. Then add the puree to the water and liquid dish soap and mix it well. Pour the liquid into a spray bottle, and your 100% natural and organic homemade insecticide is ready.
Garlic is known to eliminate insects like aphids, beetles, hornworms, and more. So, chase away all those nasty insects and bugs with your effective garlic spray!
This flavorful perennial plant instantly enriches recipes, just like its close relatives, onions, chives, and shallots.
Garlic is one of the best vegetables to grow at home. Not just tasty and an essential part of our recipes, but is one of the best organic insecticides for a vegetable garden.
Diatomaceous Earth
If you are stressed with leaf and fruit pests and cannot find a way to get rid of them, check out Diatomaceous Earth. This insecticide is made of fossilized remains of oceanic organisms and finely crushed shells.
Diatomaceous Earth is such a fine organic insecticide that it reaches the skeleton of insects and makes it unbearable for them to stay in your vegetable garden for a long time. Don’t worry. It will not kill any of the insects or pests. It will just make the environment so uncomfortable that they will not want to return to it soon.
It is 100% organic, and we recommend you buy the food-grade version of the product for additional safety. Further, while sprinkling the insecticide in your vegetable garden, wear proper goggles, face masks, and rubber gloves. It is because this insecticide is so fine that it can hurt your eyes or mouth and make you feel uncomfortable.
Diatomaceous Earth can help you remove insects like:
- Aphids
- Beetles
- Ants
- Spider Mites
- Ants
- Hornworms
Spinosad Spray
This is another fantastic organic insect killer that can help you remove all the stubborn insects and bugs from your vegetable garden while not affecting your plants in any way. Spinosad spray is great for removing pests like ants, moths, etc.
Various brands produce spinosad sprays, and you can pick any of them. Just ensure that the product you choose is non-toxic for animals and humans and has less to no odor.
Spinosad spray is an excellent choice for removing common garden bugs like:
- Caterpillars
- Borers
- Codling Moths
- Leafminers, and many more!
5. Chilli and Pepper Spray
If you do not want to buy an insecticide from the market and prefer making your own product, chili and pepper spray can be a fantastic choice. This is because, along with helping you get rid of small insects, this spray can help you keep animals like rabbits and squirrels at bay.
Hot peppers have capsaicin. It is incredibly effective in repelling small insects as well as lathe animals. Animals like rabbits or deer can cause great harm to your vegetable garden. Thus, it is essential to make them stay away before they can cause any significant damage.
To prepare this spray, you must gather 7 – 8 hot peppers, 1 tablespoon of vegetables, 1 tablespoon of non-toxic, non-detergent dish soap, and 1 gallon of water. Simply add all of these ingredients to a mixer and mix them well. Ta-da! Your homemade insecticide is ready. Easy-peasy, right?
This post will discuss everything you need to know about growing chili peppers indoors.
Liquid Soap
Something as simple as a liquid spray can have extremely amazing and surprising benefits. A simple, homemade liquid soap spray can go a long way in removing all kinds of nasty bugs and insects from your vegetable garden.
If you do not have chilies or garlic cloves in your house or need an insecticide instantly, preparing this spray can be an excellent choice.
All you need to do is mix 2 teaspoons of non-toxic, non-detergent dish soap in ¼ gallon of water. Pour the liquid into a spray bottle and sprinkle it on the vegetables that are getting affected by the insects. However, ensure not to overdo it because too much soap can stress out your veggies and make their leaves dry and lifeless. Thus, it is essential to use this spray with caution.
Your homemade liquid soap insecticide can help in removing the following bugs:
- Whiteflies
- Aphids
- Ants
- Spider Mites, and more!
Salt Spray
This is one of the best and easiest insecticides you can make at home. Salt is known to have several benefits as an insecticide. It prevents insects from sitting on your vegetables and feeding off them.
Further, salt spray not only keeps those stubborn insects and bugs away from your vegetable garden but also provides important nutrients to your vegetables since salt has high magnesium, sulfur, and phosphorus content. Through salt spray, your vegetables get a good amount of these nutrients that help them grow and thrive.
Another benefit of using a salt-based insecticide is that it does not leave any awful odor or bitter taste on your plants. You can wash the excess salt from your veggies after harvesting and then cook them to perfection.
The most common insects that homemade salt spray can deter include:
- Snails
- Slugs
- Beetles
- Fleas
- Roaches
Making salt spray is also quite easy. All you need to do is mix some salt in water per your vegetable garden’s needs and then pour the mixture into a spray bottle. If you are looking for an invisible, odorless insecticide, salt spray is one of the best organic insecticides for a vegetable garden.
You can then use it to spray on top of your vegetables and the underside of leaves. Make sure to apply the mixture to the base of your plants to deter insects from hiding there. You can use this mixture once or twice a week.
The Bottom Line
Growing your own food is an experience like no other! It can be exciting and fulfilling, and you can enjoy fresh and safe home-grown food with your family. However, growing vegetables takes a lot of effort. Thus, seeing them getting ruined by pests and insects can be upsetting.
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Having the best and non-toxic insecticides can go a long way in helping you get rid of these insects and protect your plants. Further, using organic insecticide at the right time can prevent insects and pests from destroying your vegetables.
The best thing about organic insecticide is that you can make a lot of such products at your home too. They are affordable, effective, and easy to prepare.
So, do thorough research on all the above-mentioned organic insecticides. Then, note down your requirements and select the one that makes the most sense for you and your vegetable garden!
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