Gardening Like Nature Intended

When I was younger, my family decided to take on the challenge of building a garden. My mom, the flower expert in the family, decided to work on the planting aspect of things, and my dad, the dreamer, decided to design and build the perfect backyard vegetable garden. I remember helping them weed and water the garden, checking most days to see the progress. Soon enough we sadly met defeat when we realized that animals had been getting our crops. Unable to declare defeat, my dad made different fencing mechanisms to save the few surviving plants. After that year, my family has sadly given up on a garden of crops, and my mom has resumed her amazing work planting flowers. However, this experience taught me that living in New Jersey came with the animals and pest of the northeast. So as I look around and see groundhogs and foxes, I started to wonder what people could do to save their crops.

The next step would be research and observations. For instance, I remembered that my grandma would make a special "cocktail" that would keep deer away from her plants. I also picked up on the fact that in class we had talked about how some plants even have natural repellents. To further understand how to make a change in my next garden, I looked at five ways I could use natural and alternative practices to help give protection and nutrients to my plants. I found a really interesting article that propelled this research.

One, Ladybugs: they may seem small and some would say cute, but they are very effective. They are crucial for protection against aphids, mites, and mealybugs. They give protection to the plants by eating these other insects. They can eat massive amounts of the insects per day, making them effective in a short amount of time. I was even surprised when my mom came home to tell me that they now sell them at the garden store. Also, if you plant fennel or dill you can easily attract them.

Lady Beetle/bug

Two, braconid wasps, in my opinion the coolest insect. It acts like Rogue from X-Men, impeding on the body of its host. These insects inject their larvae into the host, causing it to die once they are fully matured. This is important to deal with insects such as caterpillars, beetle larvae, moths, and more. To attract them you can plant stuff like dill, carrots, and parsley.

Three, ground beetles, they may seem a little scary, but they are truly helpful. They are beneficial for a different part of planting than the others listed above because they help with the soil. If you didn't know, soil is crucial to giving plants nutrients needed to grow. You can plant white clovers or perennials to attract them.

Four, oil spray insecticides, are a natural way to prevent insects such as aphids and mites from eating your plants. This mixture can be made by mixing one cup of vegetable oil and one tablespoon of soap. When using this spray, use two tablespoons of the mixture and one quart of water and shake it thoroughly. This spray will create a coating that will go on the insects and suffocate them.

Lastly, garlic insecticide spray is another great natural way to help plants grow. It combats the insects due to its pungent smell. To make this, first take two bulbs of garlic and puree it with a quart of water. Then leave the mixture overnight; in the morning strain it and put it in a jar then add one teaspoon of mild liquid soap and fill the rest of the jar with water. Also, if you want, you can add a half of a cup of vegetable oil, but this is optional. Next spray those insects and make a beautiful garden.

I thoroughly enjoyed researching this topic, and I hope that all of you yes you go out and try to make a garden only using natural techniques.