As the weather gets warmer, we naturally spend more time outdoors enjoying our gardens. However, along with the sunshine and fresh air, come unwanted pests! These critters – big and small - can wreak havoc on your beautiful plants and flowers. But never fear, there are eco-friendly ways to reduce pests in the garden, without resorting to harsh chemicals or cruel methods.

Small bugs and slugs:

One way to reduce smaller pests like aphids, is by using companion planting. This is where you plant certain plants close to each other to enhance each other’s growth or to protect from pests. There are two ways in which companion plants work: firstly by repelling pests, and secondly by attracting pollinators to the garden. Chives, for instance are a great example. They are highly aromatic and so keep pests like aphids away, but they also have bright attractive flowers, bringing butterflies to pollinate the garden. They work especially well planted near roses and tomatoes.

Other common examples include:

Basil & Tomatoes, Nasturtium & Cucumber – Basil & nasturtium are highly aromatic and work to repel the bugs, while at the same time bringing the pollinators.

Calendula & Broccoli – Calendula have a sticky residue, which attracts and traps the aphids. Ladybirds then come and feast on the trapped bugs.

When in doubt, the plants with strongly aromatic leaves make the best companion plants, and should be planted in and around your vegetables and flowers.

Pests like slugs, are harder to keep away as you often don’t want to attract their natural predator, the bird. Using crushed eggshells, gravel or woodchips keeps them at bay as molluscs don’t like travelling on sharp surfaces. If you’re not able to add these to the mix, the try our Slug and Snail barrier tape. It provides excellent protection and keep slugs from gaining access to areas you’d specifically like to keep them out of by providing a minuscule shock as the slugs try and slide over it..

Larger pests and animals:

Moles are a common headache for any gardener, and these pesky creatures tend to appear just when you feel like you’ve got your grass looking good. Moles burrow underneath the soil searching for earthworms, so it stands to reason that a healthy lawn will usually attract these pests, since earthworms are a sign of biodiverse soil. Sonic Repeller’s are your best line of defence if you’re looking to rid your garden in an eco-friendly way. They release vibrations and sonic pulses that push the moles away from a protected area. They also don’t release fumes or chemicals which could harm your children, pets, and other animals in the environment.

In food gardens, birds are the ultimate pest often damaging your precious well-tended vegetables and fruits. A wind action owl works to keep the smaller birds away. These clever ‘owls’ have a rotating head that moves with the wind, as well as eyes that catch the sunlight. If you don’t have space for one of these, then another alternative is Repeller Ribbon. The ribbon reflects the light to flash and repel birds.

Monkeys are harder to deter in a food garden, but there are two age old ways to disrupt their plans. Toy snakes: you’ll need to regularly move them around the garden, and change the colours of toy snakes from time to time. Monkey’s are intelligent animals and will eventually realise they’re only a decoy. The more you move them around, the better. Chilli powder is another excellent repeller: The chemical in chilli is a known way to keep monkeys, squirrels and other smaller animals away. Sprinkle your vegetables with chilli powder, but remember to give the vegetables a good wash before eating!

Maintaining a healthy garden will always need to include some sort of pest control. Using environmentally friendly techniques to manage pests in the home is safer for you, your family, your animals, and the environment. It’s also surprisingly more effective. Using eco-friendly methods treats the problem at the root cause and as such will deter the pests for longer, keeping your garden looking at it’s best.