In my garden at the moment things are growing slowly and or being eaten by caterpillars:( with the only exception being the cucumber plant which I seem to have a glut of so I've been sharing them with my neighbours. After reading one of my mother in laws magazines I found a gardening section that had an organic insect spray recipe I thought I'd give a try. The recipe says it's for mites and aphids but after some internet searching I thought it might work for these hungry caterpillars too.
8 chillies
4 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon lux flakes
1 litre hot water
Chop the chillies and garlic then add 1 teaspoon of lux flakes and the hot water. Leave overnight, strain and tip it into a spray bottle ready for use.
I also read that companion planting can help with insect problems so I think I'll be off to Bunnings tomorrow to buy myself some dill or celery or potatoes and some fertilizer to give my plants a bit of boost they seem to need.
How is your garden growing at the moment? Do you have any handy hints to keep away bugs? I hope you enjoyed your Wednesday. ❤
Yes I have read companion planting is the key. No vegie garden for me this year but I might start it up again in spring. Very rewarding. Good luck. Charmaine
ReplyDeleteThose bugs are toast! x
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pictures, hope the caterpillars stay away xx
ReplyDeleteI'm bookmarking this post! I've tried lux before on it's own and it seemed to do the trick, but did leave a lovely residue all over the plants. Also love Miss Prudence's comment regarding beer deterring snails. MIght have to give that a go too!
ReplyDeleteI hope it works...we may have to try this one out on our bugs. Something is enjoying our asparagus (as well as us!) at the moment. xo
ReplyDeleteHi Catherine, Will you update us as to how this spray works please?
ReplyDeleteAn old saying is to "Plant Marigolds with everything". Apparently they are the all round garden defender.
ReplyDeleteA good book about companion planting that I found at my local library is 'Companion Planting in Australia' by Brenda Little. It is written in alphabetical order and is very indepth. Even goes into detail about which plants thrive when planted together and what not to plant together.
A quick example "What could look nicer than the bold colours of the nasturtium against the deep green of zucchini leaves? Apart from helping to create a pleasant picture, the nasturtiums will be protecting the zucchini against aphids." Loads of hints and tips throughout the whole book.
Good Luck with finding something that works for you.
Cheers, Deb
If this spicy spray doesn't work then you must have some fiery little bugs in your garden!
ReplyDeleteI like the plant marigolds around our herbs/vegies as they ward off nasties. I tried putting some egg shells in the vegie patch too as my grandpa used to do this in his vegetable garden to keep away white cabbage moths. It's good to find environmentally friendly pest solutions :)
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