With two young children and a dog in the garden, I try where possible to not use any chemical treatments for pests or nutrients. (plus the wildlife too)
Over the last couple of years, I have done a lot of research into natural remedies to do this.
I will start with the pests, these are the three biggest pests I have ants, aphids and slugs.
Slugs - I use two things to stop them from getting to my plants: eggshells and hair. Now I know how strange this sounds but yes hair. I keep the piece from our hair cuts and sprinkle it all around the plants, this sticks to the slugs when they move and it feels sharp to them and so they will avoid the area. It also has the bonus of helping the soil, as when it breaks down it releases nitrates into the soil which the plants need.
Eggs - as when I eat some I rinse the inside place on a baking tray. when I'm either warming up or cooling down my oven I place the tray in the oven. This slightly bakes the shells making them tougher. once cool I break into smaller parts and then sprinkle around the plants. These are very sharp and the slugs won't travel over them a bit like walking on broken glass
These ingredients are
Over the last couple of years, I have done a lot of research into natural remedies to do this.
I will start with the pests, these are the three biggest pests I have ants, aphids and slugs.
Slugs - I use two things to stop them from getting to my plants: eggshells and hair. Now I know how strange this sounds but yes hair. I keep the piece from our hair cuts and sprinkle it all around the plants, this sticks to the slugs when they move and it feels sharp to them and so they will avoid the area. It also has the bonus of helping the soil, as when it breaks down it releases nitrates into the soil which the plants need.
Eggs - as when I eat some I rinse the inside place on a baking tray. when I'm either warming up or cooling down my oven I place the tray in the oven. This slightly bakes the shells making them tougher. once cool I break into smaller parts and then sprinkle around the plants. These are very sharp and the slugs won't travel over them a bit like walking on broken glass
There is also the bonus that when the eggs break down they will put calcium and protein into the soil helping to keep it in good condition.
I collect both of these items all year round to have enough to last around the growing season as you need to reapply regularly.
Next is Ants, most of the time ants are not too much of a pest but when they decide to make their nest in my veg post they become a pest. I don't want to kill them I just want them to build their nest somewhere else. I have some simple ingredients that will help move them on that most people will have in the kitchen. Apparently, any one of these ingredients should do the trick however I like to cover all my bases and use them all at once.
- ground Cinnamon
- chilli powder
- cayenne
- any citrus peel (only the peel)
I mix the powders together and apply around the entrance to their nest and then all around my planter to stop them using another position as the entrance.
for the peel, I grate the outside of the lemon (or other citrus fruit) with a greater leaving the pith on the fruit and save the fruit for something else. (This is where I usually slice and freeze for my husbands G&T) Then apply in the same method as the powder.
I save my kitchen water but not just any kitchen water. 
Water that you rinse your rice with, cook pasta potatoes and eggs in, or steam your vegetables with, all have big benefits to your plants. These foods give off proteins, vitamins, calcium and starch into the water when they are being cooked. So by putting this water on your garden you are putting the nutrients back into the soil. It also has the secondary eco benefit of saving water, as its water you have already paid for and used why not use it twice. I have empty squash bottles that I fill up (once the water is cool) and store until ready to use.
when I was growing my seeds I have one bottle that I put a small hole in the lid so the water could be gently squeezed out, so we didn't flood them. Once my plants wherein the ground I would put them into a watering can and mix this water with some freshwater to make sure it was evenly distributed across the plants.
I hope you find these tips helpful if you have any you use that I have not mentioned please leave me a message in the comments
These work as the ants find the spices irritating and the citrus they think is poisonous so they will avoid completely. When I applied these at the start of spring the container was covered in ants 30 minutes late about 10 were still about. 24hrs later they were completely gone and have not come back to this spot at all.
Aphids - aphids are not great as they will destroy your plants very quickly. They are hard to get rid of as by the time you spot them there are hundreds and they are tiny too. The other issue is Ants farm them as when an aphid eats it produces a sticky substance called honeydew which the ants love to eat, plus the honeydew grows a black mold the ants also eat. The ants will care for the aphids and keep their predators (ladybirds) away when they spot an aphid that is ill or dying they will remove it far away to keep the colony healthy. this relationship while fascinating can be devastating to crops. there are two methods I have used to try and deal with these. 1) spray bottle with a mix of washing up liquid and water sprayed over the area affected. This works by creating a layer of soap over the outside of their skin so they can't breathe and so dye. This method is quick but does not always work very well as the aphids are often tightly packed and so some will not get evenly coated. 2) mix some water and washing up liquid in a bowl and take a paintbrush. I dip the brush in the solution and brush the aphids off and put them into the water. This removes the largest aphid and coats the smaller ones with the mix. It takes longer but works much better. I had a large outbreak three days of using this method they have all gone and the ants are not farming on the spot any more.
Next is the nutrients for the plants and soil, I have already mentioned the eggs and hair giving calcium, protein and nitrates. You will be able to use more household things that you usually throw away to help your soil.
Water that you rinse your rice with, cook pasta potatoes and eggs in, or steam your vegetables with, all have big benefits to your plants. These foods give off proteins, vitamins, calcium and starch into the water when they are being cooked. So by putting this water on your garden you are putting the nutrients back into the soil. It also has the secondary eco benefit of saving water, as its water you have already paid for and used why not use it twice. I have empty squash bottles that I fill up (once the water is cool) and store until ready to use.
when I was growing my seeds I have one bottle that I put a small hole in the lid so the water could be gently squeezed out, so we didn't flood them. Once my plants wherein the ground I would put them into a watering can and mix this water with some freshwater to make sure it was evenly distributed across the plants.I hope you find these tips helpful if you have any you use that I have not mentioned please leave me a message in the comments
good gardening everyone!
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