Saturday, July 22, 2006

Nature's Insecticides



Tamara, on an herbal list I belong to, recently posted a list of nature's insecticides. Safe, natural, and effective, these herbal combinations will detour bugs and pests from garden and home.

NATURE'S INSECTICIDES

Basil: plant with tomatoes to improve growth and flavor. Plant with asparagus to increase vigor. Plant near compost pile to keep insects away. Plant around doors and windows to keep insects away. DO NOT plant with rue.

Bay Leaf: A fresh bay leaf in storage containers of beans or grains will deter weevils and moths.

Borage: Plant with tomatoes, squash, and strawberries to deter hornworms and black flea beetles. Also attracts honeybees. Plant as close as possible to compost pile; adds potassium, calcium, and other minerals when decomposing.

Caraway: Good for loosening compacted soil.Catnip: Deters flea beetles.Chamomile: Improves flavor of cabbage and onions. Also promotes growth in near-by plants.

Chervil: Improves growth and flavor of radishes.

Dill: Improves growth and health of cabbages. DO NOT plant with carrots or tomatoes.

Fennel: DO NOT plant in garden for any reason. Plant separately, plant coriander with it to prevent seeds from setting. Attracts bees.

Garlic: Plant with roses, raspberries, and lettuce to repel aphids and japanese beetles, also repels blight from potatoes and tomatoes, flea beetles from potatoes, red spiders from tomatoes, and green loopers from cabbage. DO NOT plant near peas.

Horseradish: Plant near potatoes to repel potato bugs. Also at the base of fruit trees to fight fruit rot.

Hyssop: Plant with grapevines to increase grape yield. DO NOT plant with radishes.

Lovage: Plant with any plant; improves health of all vegetables.

Marjoram: plant with any plant; improves flavor and health.

Mint: Plant with tomatoes and cabbage to improve health. Also repels cabbageworm; black flea beetles from radishes; hornworm from tomatoes; ants from most everything.

Parsley: Plant with roses to repel rose beetles; mix with carrot seeds to repel carrot flies; attracts bees second year if allowed to flower.

Rosemary: Plant with cabbage, beans, and carrots to improve overall health.

Sage: Repels cabbageworm, and white cabbage butterfly. Also repels carrot flies. DO NOT plant near cucumbers.

Southernwood: Plant near cabbage to repel cabbagemoths; also dried leaves repel ants.

Savory: Plant with beans and onions to improve flavor; repels cabbage moths, hornworms, and black flea beetles.

Tansy: Plant with blackberries, grapes, raspberries, and roses; repels cane borers. Also repels flying insects, japanese beetles, striped cucumber beetles, squash bugs, cabbageworms, cabbage butterfly, and ants.

Thyme: Deters cabbage butterfly and cabbageworms.

Valerian: Plant anywhere in the garden to attract earthworms.

Yarrow: Plant with any other herb to increase the oils in that herb. Also good with any vegetable to improve health and flavor.

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