Do pests always invade your garden and multiply during spring and summer? If your plants become a feast for certain unwelcome guests during these seasons, you are not alone.
It is very common that, when the weather improves and temperatures rise, life awakens, for better or for worse. And controlling those dreaded pests is even more complicated if we grow organically.
But don’t despair, protecting your crop naturally is possible— and it can even improve the health of your plants and soil!
In this guide, we’ll share proven natural methods for pest prevention with you. You’ll learn how to identify the most common pests, apply organic control strategies, and build a healthy, pest-free ecosystem. By the end, you’ll have the knowledge you need to maintain a healthy garden while protecting your organic crops.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Why Preventing Pests is Better than Treating Them
2. Common Garden Pests and How to Identify Them
3. Organic Farming: Key Tips to Prevent Pests and Boost Your Crop Health
1. Prioritise Prevention with Good Farming Practices
2. Use Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Techniques
3. Eliminate Conditions That Foster Pests
4. Use Organic-Approved Inputs
5. Document and Learn
Why Preventing Pests is Better than Treating Them
If you dread the moment when spring arrives and with it the first pests, let us tell you that the key is prevention, and especially in organic farming where we cannot use powerful pesticides.
The true power of organic farming lies in creating a balanced system, where pests don’t find ideal conditions to proliferate, and plants are strong enough to resist attack.
Taking a proactive and preventive approach to pest control is the smartest way to protect your garden and your harvest! Why? Because prevention:
1. Minimizes plant damage. Preventing pests stops problems before they escalate, reducing stress on your plants.
2. Saves you time and money. Catching an infestation early—or avoiding one altogether—is far easier and cheaper than managing a full-blown outbreak.
3. Supports environmental health. Natural methods protect pollinators, beneficial insects, and the surrounding ecosystem.
The foundation of prevention starts with a healthy garden. Well-maintained soil, thriving plants, and balanced biodiversity create a natural defense against pests.
Common Garden Pests and How to Identify Them
Knowing your enemy is key to effective pest prevention. Here are some of the most common garden pests and their signs:
• Aphids:
o Tiny, soft-bodied insects (green, black, or yellow).
o They cluster on new growth and excrete a sticky substance called honeydew.
o Damage: Curled, yellowing leaves and stunted growth.
• Mealybugs:
o Small, white, cottony insects that cluster on stems, leaves, and nodes.
o Excrete honeydew, which attracts sooty mold.
o Damage: Wilting, yellowing leaves, and slowed plant growth.
• Thrips:
o Tiny, slender insects with fringed wings; they may be black, brown, or pale.
o Look for silvery streaks or specks on leaves and flowers.
o Damage: Discolored leaves and flowers. Reduced fruit yield.
• Spider Mites:
o Microscopic pests often found on the underside of leaves.
o Look for fine webbing and speckled yellow or brown spots on leaves.
o Damage: Weakened plants and leaf discoloration and drop.
• Whiteflies:
o Small, white moth-like insects that sucks the sap of your plants.
o Adults and larvae are normally seen grouped together on the underside of the leaf.
o Damage: Yellowing leaves, brown spots and sticky residue.
• Fungus Gnats:
o Tiny black flies that live on the top of the substrate. Adults are not dangerous. The larvae feed on small roots and root hairs, especially in damp soil.
o Adult fungus gnats are very recognizable, and they flutter non-stop. These tiny flies don’t hide and are easy to detect.
o Damage: Above all, in young plants, it stunts their growth and leaves them vulnerable to disease.
• Snails and Slugs:
o Visible pests that leave slimy trails on soil and leaves.
o Damage: Large, irregular holes in leaves and stems.
• Caterpillars:
o Chewing larvae of moths and butterflies.
o Damage: Leaves, flowers or fruits eaten down.
⭐ Quick Tip: Inspect your plants regularly, especially the undersides of leaves, where pests like to hide.
Organic Farming: Key Tips to Prevent Pests and Boost Your Crop Health
If you’re an organic grower or working towards organic certification, you already know that pest management is crucial and probably the most difficult part without relying on strong chemical pesticides.
So, we’re here to give you some handy tips on how to boost your garden’s resilience and cut down on chemical interventions, keeping your crops healthy and in line with organic standards.
The key to stopping pests starts with smart gardening practices. Here are some actionable steps to keep your garden healthy and pest-resistant:
1. Prioritise Prevention with Good Farming Practices
• Strengthen the soil: The health of your garden begins with the soil. In organic farming, the focus is on enriching the soil with natural inputs, which leads to healthier, more resilient plants. Here’s how healthy soil helps prevent pests:
1. Improved Nutrient Availability: Organic matter, like compost and natural fertilisers, releases nutrients slowly, feeding plants consistently over time. Nutrient-rich plants are less attractive to pests because they are stronger and less prone to stress.
2. Enhanced Microbial Life: Beneficial microorganisms in the soil protect plants by suppressing harmful pathogens and fungi.
3. Root Health and Resistance: A robust root system also supports overall plant growth, helping plants recover faster from minor pest damage.
4. Moisture Management: Healthy soil retains water effectively without becoming soggy, reducing conditions that attract pests like fungus gnats and thrips. If you want more tips on irrigation, don’t miss our blog post on the subject.
5. ATAMI TIP to strengthen the soil: Try the new VGN fertilisers! The VGN range, approved for Organic Farming by Control Union, focus on nurturing soil health through sustainable practices.
VGN fertilisers enhance microbial activity, improve soil structure, and support plants at every stage of growth—all while aligning with the principles of organic farming. A strong soil foundation means your plants are better equipped to resist pests naturally, reducing the need for interventions.
• Go for diversity: Practice crop rotation and polyculture. Plant diversity is at the heart of organic farming. By cultivating a mix of crops, flowers, and herbs, you create an ecosystem that works with nature. Diverse planting helps to:
o Confuse pests: Mixed scents and visual patterns make it harder for pests to locate their preferred plants.
o Prevent pest dominance: A balanced ecosystem ensures that no single pest population can take over.
o Tips for complementary planting: Some plants that you can add to your complementary planting are marigolds, which repel nematodes and whiteflies; basil, which helps to deter thrips and aphids while stimulating the growth of nearby crops; or nasturtiums, which serve as a “trap crop”, attracting different insects away from your vegetables. Check out this blog on companion planting for lots of tips and tricks!
o Attract beneficial predators and pollinators
• Regular monitoring: Check your plants often for early signs of pests so you can take action early without needing chemicals.
2. Use Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Techniques
IPM combines natural strategies to keep pests under control, such as:
• Attracting natural predators: Grow flowers and herbs that attract beneficial insects like ladybirds, lacewings, and parasitic wasps.
• Trap crops: Plant crops like nasturtiums to lure pests like aphids or whiteflies away from your main crops.
• Physical barriers: Use insect nets or sticky traps to stop pests from reaching your plants.
3. Eliminate Conditions That Foster Pests
• Manage soil moisture: Avoid over-watering, which could attract pests like fungus gnats or promote fungal diseases.
• Keep the area tidy: Remove dead leaves and crop residues that can provide shelter for pests.
4. Use Organic-Approved Inputs
• Use certified products to nourish the soil and strengthen your plants without disrupting the ecological balance. For example, the organic certified VGN fertilisers from Atami not only nourish the plants but also help to enrich the microbiota of the soil and strengthen the plants’ defenses in a natural way.
• If you need to intervene against pests, use products allowed in organic farming, like plant oils, potassium soaps, or botanical extracts (neem, garlic, or chilli).
5. Document and Learn
• Keep records: From pest management practices to inputs used. This record will be crucial if you’re aiming for organic certification or if you simply want to grow organically and successfully.
• Seek advice: If you’re unsure, consult experts or certification bodies to ensure your practices meet the standards.
Managing Pests Naturally When Prevention Isn’t Enough
In organic farming, the use of pesticides is allowed, but these are not the same chemical products that are used in conventional agriculture. Pesticides permitted in organic farming must meet very strict criteria to protect the environment, human health and biodiversity. Here is a list of options you can use:
Set Traps
• If you need a trap for snails and slugs, beer is a great attractant! But honestly, who can resist a cold one? Bury a container filled with a little beer near the plants to attract them. After a while, you can collect them safely. Just don’t overfill the container to avoid drowning them. Alternatively, create a repellent barrier with eggshells, ash, or diatomaceous earth around your plants.
• Sticky traps work well for whiteflies and fungus gnats.
• Attract birds to your garden by installing birdhouses or feeders—they’re natural pest hunters.
Pesticides of natural origin:
• Plant extracts: For example, neem oil or garlic extracts, which have repellent or insecticidal properties.
• Natural minerals: Such as sulfur or copper (in the form of copper sulfate), which are used to prevent and control fungal diseases. Or diatomaceous earth, a siliceous sedimentary rock, formed by microfossils of diatoms, is a natural non-poisonous pesticide: the ingestion of silica particles causes lesions in the digestive tract and the fixation on the body of insects dehydrates them.
Living organisms or biopesticides:
• Beneficial insects: Such as ladybirds to control aphids. Lacewings are another great example. Their larvae are incredibly voracious, even often called “aphid lions”, they prey on aphids, whiteflies, mealybugs, and thrips. But also having spiders, different types of wasps or even praying mantises swarming around your crops will help you keep the pest population at bay.
• Fungi and bacteria: Example: Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), which attacks certain insect larvae without harming other organisms.
Basic substances:
• Some approved compounds such as vinegar, sodium bicarbonate or certain essential oils, which have insecticidal or fungicidal effects.
Conclusion
Preventing pests is an essential part of organic farming, and with the right approach, you can create a balanced and resilient ecosystem.
By prioritising prevention, adopting good farming practices, and using organic-approved products, you’ll not only keep pests in check but also boost the health of your plants and soil. Whether you’re aiming for organic certification or simply want a thriving garden, these natural strategies will help you achieve a pest-free, chemical-free environment.
Remember, a healthy garden starts with healthy soil, and with the right techniques, pests won’t stand a chance.
