Organic Pesticides

I am a new gardener and somewhat new to DG... curious if anyone could point me to some previous posts or some good info on organic pesticides that work. I have two 4 x 8 square foot gardens that I will be populating this spring and would like to keep as many chemicals out as possible. Thanks to all!

Ryan

You might try just scrolling down the first page or two of this forum and reading the subject lines, there are several threads with a few responses each on this topic, there doesn't seem to be one main thread with the advice you're looking for. In order to really recommend an appropriate pesticide, it would be necessary to know what type of pests you are trying to get rid of. Many times there will be a mechanical control such as picking the bugs off the plants by hand or spraying with a strong jet of water that will work, or sometimes you can introduce a "good" insect such as ladybugs, trichogramma wasps, etc and you can avoid chemicals entirely (I prefer the no chemical at all approach whenever possible--even organic pesticides still kill some beneficial insects along with the bad guys) If you do need to go the chemical route, insecticidal soaps are probably the friendliest alternative and will take care of most soft-bodied insects (aphids, etc), but as I mentioned before, they will kill some good bugs as well as the bad ones so if there's a non-chemical approach I would try that first. So, now that I've rambled on, my best advice to you would be to post the specific pest(s) that you're having problems with (or expect to have problems with based on what happened in the garden last year) and then people can share what control measures have worked for them.

Thank you ecrane, I will do that when I get an opportunity. I think I need to pay more attention to exactly what bugs are doing the chomping and post here again later. Those bugs, whatever they are, are relentless! (I know I have a good amount of grasshoppers for sure - I'm not sure what else is enjoying the feast - but whatever it is loves mustard greens!) I will try to get more info up here when I can. Thank you for your post!

Ryan

Ryan, welcome, and congrats on embarking in the direction of organics! There are several great books you could look at for an overview. One of my favorites is "The Vegetable Gardener's Bible" by Ed Smith, put out by Storey press. I highly recommend it for a very good introduction of how to use organic products, companion planting, and pest & disease prevention (rather than just treatment). The Rodale books are also good. Lots of organic Texas gardeners here; DG is a great, great resource.

Thank you Zeppy, I'm happy to be here! And thanks for the book recommendation, I'll have to check that out. We're enjoying getting our feet wet with gardening (our little ones are enjoying it too) and are thankful for DG to find help and encouragement. We took our first stab at a garden in the fall, and, well, let's just say it was a fun first try! (it must not have been too bad though, the critters sure seemed to like it!) It is amazing though how much better home grown stuff tastes than it does at the store. I noticed with my broccoli plants how much milder they were than the more bitter broccoli you get at the store, not to mention my kale also. That has encouraged me to keep at it as I would eventually like to be shopping my garden for most of my veggies instead of the store. Thanks again!

Ryan

I find cutting the bottom of the stem of kale or broccoli off and setting the stem in H20 in the fridge when I get home from the door keeps the vegetables fresh and not too bitter. Same w/ asparagus. Also, there's ANOTHER great book called "Roots Shoots Buckets and Boots" by Lovejoy that's all about gardening w/ kids. It's where I got the idea for a sunflower house (pics in this link I'm pasting), which is always popular w/ the kids. We're doing a bean teepee house for the kids as well this year.

Best to you!
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/584178/