Blog

Problem Pests

By Emily Peagram
11th July 2023

Ask any veg-grower what the most frustrating part of gardening is, and we’d wager that garden pests are pretty high up on the list. When you’ve spent all winter waiting to get back outside, and spring hard at work sowing seeds and preparing for the season ahead, only to find that come summer your plans are scuppered by pesky pests, it can be rather disheartening. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to prevent the problem getting out of hand and products to minimise the destruction that pests can cause.

Insects to watch out for
Some of the creatures that pose the biggest threat to crops are actually the smallest in size. Cabbage white butterflies will always head straight for your brassicas to lay their eggs and leave the resultant caterpillars to munch their way through veggies, sap-sucking aphids aren’t fussy about what they target, so many plants will be at risk, vine weevils are bound to make a beeline for containers, and don’t even get us started on slugs!

In many ways, the small size of these nuisance bugs make the task of keeping them at bay twice as difficult, because many of the large, physical barriers won’t do the trick. Usually, using a multitude of defence mechanisms is the best way to combat the issue – consider using netting or cages that are designed to block insects from reaching edibles, invest in some organic repellents to deter critters in a wildlife-friendly manner, and do a regular once over of crops for symptoms of infestation, which will allow you to act quickly if pests do appear. Sometimes it’s simply a case of removing by hand.

Birds, deer, rabbits
Larger visitors to the garden, such as pigeons flocking to destroy brassicas, deer attacking many ornamental flowers, demolishing tree bark or getting a taste for the fresh fruit and veggies on offer on the plot, or rabbits sneaking in for dinner – also threaten to steal the goods from your hard graft.

Think about using ultrasonic deterrents to ward away rodents and rabbits from precious produce, use scaring tactics to fend off birds, either ready-made from a garden centre, or by getting creative with a homemade item to discourage them from entering the kitchen garden. Again, netting or cages can prevent many pests from reaching crops, just make sure they’re pulled taut so that nothing becomes trapped.