How to Keep Bugs Out of Your Vegetable Garden Naturally

Quick takeaway: how to keep bugs out of your vegetable garden

• Walk the garden every day or two and check under the leaves
• Pick, hose or net pests before numbers build up
• Plant flowers that bring in ladybirds and hoverflies
• Feed the soil so plants are strong enough to bounce back
• Reach for a natural spray only when numbers get out of hand

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What common summer veggie pests look like

Most damage starts small, so knowing what to look for means you can stop it before your crops get eaten. Check the undersides of leaves and the soft new tips, because that's where most pests hide.

• Aphids: tiny green, black or grey insects clustered on new growth. Leaves may curl or feel sticky.
• Caterpillars and cabbage moth: holes chewed in the leaves of cabbage, broccoli, kale and other brassicas, often with small green droppings nearby. They can do serious damage quickly.
• Whitefly: tiny white insects that fly up in a cloud when you brush the plant.
• Thrips and mites: silvery, speckled or bleached leaves, sometimes with fine webbing in hot, dry weather.
• Snails and slugs: ragged holes and silvery trails, mostly after rain or overnight watering.
• Fruit fly: small stings or soft spots on tomatoes and fruit. A Searles Fruit Fly Trap helps you monitor and control them.

A few bugs are normal in any healthy garden. What you're watching for is numbers building up.

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How to keep bugs out of your vegetable garden naturally

Simple habits are the easiest win. They cost nothing and stop most problems early.

• Do a five-minute check. Walk the garden every morning or two and turn over a few leaves. Searles recommends inspecting regularly.
• Pick them off. Flick caterpillars off food crops and squash them on sight. Snails and slugs are easiest to collect at night with a torch.
• Hose them off. A firm spray of water knocks aphids off new growth.
• Cover your crops. Fine insect netting over brassicas keeps cabbage moths from laying eggs.
• Water in the morning. Leaves left damp overnight invite snails, slugs and fungal problems.
• Clean up. Remove fallen fruit and badly chewed leaves so pests have fewer places to breed and hide.

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Which flowers help with vegetable garden pest control?

Your garden has its own pest control team. Ladybird larvae usually keep aphids under control, and the aphid midge feeds on aphids too, with one female laying over 100 eggs among aphid colonies. Hoverflies and lacewings also eat aphids.

Give these good bugs a reason to visit. Companion planting can help repel pests and give you a more balanced, productive garden. Try:

• Alyssum and Queen Anne's lace to bring in hoverflies and other helpful insects
• Marigolds and nasturtiums tucked between veggies
• Basil, coriander and dill left to flower near tomatoes and brassicas

Ask your local garden centre for seedlings, as Searles doesn't sell plants. One more tip: go easy on sprays, because broad sprays can kill the good bugs as well as the bad.

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Why healthy soil means fewer pests

Pests tend to go for plants that are already stressed by heat, thirst or hunger. Strong, well-fed plants bounce back faster from a bit of damage.

• Feed the soil. Searles 5 IN 1 Organic Fertiliser - Dig In builds humus, encourages microbial and earthworm activity and helps hold moisture around the roots. It's BFA certified organic.
• Feed through the season. In the growing season, top up with 5 IN 1 Pellets, Granular or Liquid, following the back of the bag for how often to repeat, and avoid overdoing it. Soft, sappy growth from too much feeding can attract aphids.
• Mulch. Organic mulch keeps soil moist, evens out soil temperature and slows weeds.

For more on building a healthy patch, read our guide to growing an organic vegetable garden.

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When to reach for a natural spray

If numbers keep climbing after you've picked, hosed and netted, it's time for a spray made for food plants.

• Searles Bug Beater Natural Pyrethrum Spray kills aphids, thrips, caterpillars, cabbage moths, whitefly and more on contact. It's ready to use and suits vegetables and food plants. Spray the tops and undersides of leaves when pests first appear, and repeat weekly while they're active. Don't pick vegetables until one day after spraying.
• Searles Ecofend Vegetable & Garden Insect & Mite Spray is a soap-based organic spray for mites, aphids, thrips, mealybug and whitefly on veggies. It's non-residual and labelled 100% organic.

Always follow the label, spray in the cool of early morning or evening, and check the label for any wait before harvest. You'll find more options in the Searles product range, and our page on controlling aphids has more tips.

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Keep your veggie patch bug-free this summer

Keeping bugs out of your vegetable garden doesn't need to be a big job. Check often, act early, invite the good bugs in, feed your soil and spray only when you need to. Expect a few holes along the way. That's part of growing your own, and your harvest will still be worth it.

Get Searles Bug Beater, Ecofend and 5 IN 1 Organic Fertiliser before the bugs find your veggies. Find a Searles stockist near you.

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FAQs

How do I keep bugs out of my vegetable garden without chemicals?

Check your plants every day or two, pick off caterpillars and snails, and hose aphids off new growth. Cover brassicas with fine netting and plant flowers that bring in ladybirds and hoverflies. Companion planting can also help repel pests.

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What is eating holes in my vegetable leaves?

Neat holes in cabbage, kale or broccoli leaves are usually caterpillars, often from cabbage moth. Ragged holes with silvery trails point to snails or slugs, which feed at night. Check under leaves in the morning, and at night with a torch, to find the culprit.

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Is pyrethrum spray safe to use on vegetables?

Searles Bug Beater Natural Pyrethrum Spray is made for use on vegetables and food plants and kills pests on contact. Always follow the label directions and check it for any wait before harvest.

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How do I get rid of aphids naturally?

Aphids gather on new growth, and ladybird larvae usually keep them under control. Hose them off with water and avoid broad sprays that kill helpful insects. For bad infestations, Searles recommends Bug Beater, a natural pyrethrum spray.

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What flowers keep bugs away from vegetables?

Alyssum, marigolds, nasturtiums and flowering herbs such as basil, coriander and dill are popular choices to plant among veggies. They attract helpful insects like hoverflies and ladybirds that eat pests.

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