Homemade organic pesticide

It's that time of year where our vegetable gardens are producing the fruits of our labor but it's frustrating to find that the bugs have gotten to the feast before us.  Below are some examples of homemade pesticides to help keep the bugs at bay and not harm ourselves with chemicals.

Soap Spray

A way to stop the slugs is with soapy water. You can just use your old, dirty dishwater! Collect some of the water in a pan and pour it into a watering can or even use a pitcher to pour it over the plants. This works really well on hostas and mums, but also can be used on other hardy plants. For a stronger solution, mix 3 Tablespoons of liquid detergent into a gallon of water, I prefer Dawn, but any will do. Use this weekly.

Spearmint Hot Pepper Horseradish Spray

This is effective on many different kinds of outside bugs and insects and should be an outside spray.
1/4 cup of hot red peppers
1/2 gallon water
1/4 cup of fresh spearmint
1/4 cup horseradish, both root and leaves
1 tablespoons of liquid detergent
1/4 cup green onion tops
Mix the spearmint leaves, horseradish, onion tops and peppers together with enough water to cover everything. Then strain the solution. Add a half-gallon of water and the detergent. You can use this to spray almost any plant safely. Store the mixture for a few days in a cool place.

Natural Pesticide for Aphids and Whiteflies

Mix a few drops of dishwashing detergent with water and spray on plants leaves. This is extremely effective in controlling many soft-bodied insects such as aphids and whiteflies.

Garlic
One of the most effective natural pesticides is garlic. This pungent bulb can be used to control mosquitoes, aphids, spider mites and more. Planting garlic around tomatoes and fruit bearing trees can repel pests that range from insects to rabbits, moles and groundhogs. You can also create your own garlic based pest repellent using only fresh chopped garlic and mineral oil. Allow four ounces of garlic to sit in two tablespoons of mineral oil for a minimum of one day. This pesticide should be diluted 1:20, which means one part pesticide to 20 parts water. It can be sprayed on plants, flowers, vegetables and even ponds to repel pests.


Red and black pepper sprinkled around your garden can also help keep the pests away. Fragrant and useful lavender actually repels mice and other pests while bringing in butterflies. Mint is also a powerful deterrent in the garden, but it can spread so make sure to contain it in one area. Another herb to consider when making organic pesticides is wormwood. While the wormwood plant actually works to repel slugs and snails, you can simmer the leaves in water for an effective pest ridding spray.