Gardeners, put down your weapons! (and do this instead)
, by Ellen Rignell, 3 min reading time
When we gardeners talk about pests, why do we always use warfare metaphors?
‘My french beans were obliterated by black fly!’
‘We’re besieged by slugs!’
‘Aphids are attacking my peppers!’
Why? I suspect it’s because we often feel like we are at war. Fighting the good fight to grow a few veggies and a bunch of flowers. And I get it. It’s depressing to see whole trays of seedlings disappear to the slugs.
But there’s another way of looking at it.
The pests in our garden tell a story. They tell us that something is out of balance and it’s our job as gardeners to observe what’s happening, work out what’s out of whack and take action to bring it back to good health.
If you’re a new gardener, start by practicing observing. You can learn a lot just from looking at your plants closely. Keep an eye out for overly lush, flimsy plants - they are always the first to be picked off by slugs and snails. Look closely at the leaves - are they wrinkled? This is the earliest sign of aphids. Catch them early and you can usually squish them before they become a problem. When growing plug plants, check the bottom of your seed trays - they are a favourite hidey-hole for slugs. You’ll save yourself a world of trouble by picking them off before they find your seedlings.
Once you’ve honed your observation skills you can start to work out what’s going wrong. Pests tell you something about your garden ecosystem. An aphid infestation tells you your soil is overfertilised. Flea beetles show you which plants are weakest. But whatever the reason behind the attack, strangely enough, the solution is usually the same - improve your soil.
Why? Because the soil is the foundational element of any garden ecosystem and your plants first line of defense when it comes to pests. The better the structure of your soil, the more robust your plants will be. The more diverse your soil microbiome, the more resilient your plants will be to nibbles from pests.
Here are a few practical tips to keep your soil in good nick:
-
Protect & feed the soil. You can use compost or mulch to protect and feed your soil. High carbon mulches like straw are great at encouraging beneficial soil fungi. Covering the soil over wet, UK winters is especially important - a healthy crop of weeds is better than bare soil!
-
Avoid pesticides, even ‘natural’ ones such as neem oil. Using pesticides affects all the insects living in your garden, even the beneficials you want to encourage. By using them you might be solving an immediate problem but in reality you’re pushing yourself much further away from your goal of a healthy, balanced ecosystem.
-
Plant a wide diversity of plants. Grow vegetables and flowers. Grow annuals and perennials. A more diverse plant community makes for a more microbially diverse soil.
-
Grow heirloom and open pollinated seeds. They are equipped with the right genetics to benefit from a rich, living soil and they actively help grow the diversity of microbes in your soil.
I hope these practical tips help you on your way towards a beautifully balanced garden ecosystem.
