Natural Pest Control For Your Home Garden

#Plantmomlife is in my blood. My mother has always had remarkable plants in her home and the juju just passed on to me. In 2017 my husband Ben and I moved into our current home and I knew, I wanted to create a “proper” garden, it just took a couple years to make it happen because of travel and babies and an yard wasnt conceptualized yet.

(although, For those of you without a yard I will say that I did still garden on our patio with my favorite vertical gardening grower that I had purchased when I lived in an apartemt- GARDEN TOWER FIND IT HERE)

I garden for many reasons, Im a foody, a creator, a crunchy hippie who thrives for the best quality good whenever possible. I love food. I love growing it!

The only thing that can ruin a good gardening season is when you find that pests and fungus take over and ruin all of your hard work!

Whats an aspiring organic gardener to do?

It can be a hassle to find natural alternatives to chemical fixes to garden ruiners- that actually work.

There is good news, though! Essential oils can actually be used in gardening! Im a legit snob about my oils because the regulations are literatlly non existant so you need to be able to trust your source… but once thats covered you’re golden.

You can grab them from me here! And you can also DM me your sourcing questions here!

Natural Pest Control For Your Garden

So, how can you start using essential oils to make your garden healthier, safely? 

Keep reading for a list of essential oils, what they do, and even a few recipes you can easily make yourself!

Cedarwood

- Repels: cutworms, roaches, ticks, and weevils

Cedarwood’s strong scent disrupts many insect’s pheromones, and works very well to deter many insect pests. 

Cinnamon

- Repels: ants, fungus, gnats, snails, and weeds

Cinnamon is a triple threat essential oil for the top three garden woes! Pests, weeds, and fungus don’t stand a chance against it.

Clove

- Repels: fungus, mites, and weeds

Another great triple threat, clove essential oil is best known for its weed-controlling abilities. It also helps prevent fungus, and actually kills mites.

Lavender

- Repels: chiggers, fleas, flies, mosquitoes, and ticks

Lavender is definitely a gardening necessity, since it not only repels all of the above; but also ATTRACTS pollinators like bees and butterflies! Plus, it’s aromatherapy will make your gardening experience that much more peaceful and relaxing. I call that a win-win!

Lemongrass

- Repels: ants, chiggers, fleas, flies, gnats, mosquitoes, roaches, and ticks

Lemongrass oil repels a wide range of pests, and is completely safe for all sorts of vegetation. Bonus fact: the lemongrass plant itself can help deter small rodents and vermin like rats, or even raccoons!

Orange

- Repels: aphids, beetles, caterpillars, chiggers, cutworms, flies, gnats, moths, roaches, snails/slugs, spiders, and ticks

Just like lavender oil, orange oil can repel a multitude of pests while also attracting pollinators!

Oregano

- Repels: flies, fungus, mosquitoes, and rodents

This oil has powerful anti-fungal and antimicrobial properties that make it a force to be reckoned with in a garden.

Peppermint

- Repels: ants, aphids, beetles, caterpillars, flies, moths, plant lice, slugs, and vermin.

Peppermint oil takes care of a host of pest issues, and works to mask the odor of plants these pests may find tasty. It also irritates these pests to the point of wanting to be far away, so be sure to place it on window sills if your garden is close to them. This way, pests won’t try to hide out in your home.

Rosemary

- Repels: ants, beetles, cats (who knew??), flies, and mosquitoes

Like lavender and orange oils, rosemary oil works as a deterrent for several pests, as well as an attractant for butterflies and bees! Its ability to keep cats away can be good for humanely dealing with any neighborhood pets or strays, and can even keep your own kitty safely out of trouble!

Tea Tree

Repels: fungus and mosquitoes

Tea tree oil has profound anti-fungal abilities, and is also known for being a great mosquito repellant! However, it does make plants more sensitive to the sun, so be cautious and sparing with your application. A little goes a long way!

Thyme

Repels: flies, mosquitoes, and ticks

Thyme oil has ben found to have several insect repelling terpenes that could be even more powerful (and much safer than) DEET!

Now that we know a few essential oils that can help your garden thrive, let’s get into three mixtures that can help with those big issues: fungus, pests, and weeds!

Anti-fungal Spray

In a one gallon spray bottle: combine water, one drop of oregano oil, five drops of tea tree oil, one tablespoon of organic castile soap, and three tablespoons of baking soda.

Use once a week, in the evenings.

Insect Repellant

In a four ounce spray bottle: combine water; and ten drops each of clove, peppermint, rosemary, and thyme.

Use wherever insects are a problem.

Weed Killer

In a large, pump-style spray bottle, combine: distilled white vinegar (up to the fill line), ten drops of cinnamon, fifteen drops of clove, and one tablespoon of castile soap. Apply ONLY to weeds, as this mixture can kill plants you want to keep as well.

I hope this list of natural pest control for your garden helps you have a gorgeous garden without needing to rely on harmful chemicals! Please feel free to drop a comment if you have found another oil or recipe to be particularly useful for a specific problem—or if you just want to chat. :)

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