By Johnson 
Ladybirds benefit your garden as they feed on aphids
Image: Ladybirds (25 adults) and Ladybird Larvae (pack of 100) from Thompson & Morgan
Whether you want to protect flowers from being munched down to bare stalks or preserve precious fruit and veg from hungry critters, we’ve gathered a wealth of expert pest control tips to help you out. Here are some of the best natural pest control methods to keep your garden looking great.
Browse our excellent range of nasturtium seeds for a superb sacrificial plant.
The best companion plants to protect your garden’s ecosystem
Laura from @Iamagardener uses calendula to keep pests off broad beans
Image: Courtesy of @Iamagardener
Stephanie from @seeds_with_stephanie stopped using chemicals back in 2020 when she decided to let nature “do its thing”. Her pest control methods now include over-sowing and over-planting so she has plenty of extras to sacrifice. She also recommends companion planting and crop rotation to keep everything strong and healthy.
Like most gardeners, Jackie from @my.allotment.escape doesn’t mind a few ‘pests’ on her plants, but she strives to create a balance by encouraging natural predators. Her favourite sacrificial plant is the nasturtium – a great way to lure unwanted guests away from her precious crops.
Over at @lamagardener, Laura’s favourite companion plant is calendula. She says it’s particularly good at protecting broad beans, while also serving as a cut-and-come again flower! In the greenhouse, basil is her go-to plant when it comes to keeping white fly off her tomatoes.
Claire from @pegsplot grows big pots of individual herbs like mint, sage, parsley and thyme to position next to different crops each year. She says that sage is a good way to deter cabbage moth, thyme is great near beans and tomatoes, and chives repel carrot fly.
Richard from The Veg Grower Podcast succession sows a wide variety of flowers like calendula, sweet alyssum, fennel, dill and marigolds to attract ladybirds, hoverflies, parasitic wasps and lacewings which control aphids and other soft-bodied pests. He says: “I regularly use marigolds with beans to deter aphids, and basil with tomatoes to confuse whitefly and help with general plant health. Nasturtiums act as a brilliant sacrificial plant, drawing pests away from more vulnerable crops, and I interplant herbs like chives, dill, and coriander to add extra biodiversity to the plot.”
Nick from Two Thirsty Gardeners finds the birds and beasts that enjoy his garden as rewarding as the plants. But to protect those that matter most, like brassicas, he simply grows greater volumes than normal to make sure that enough survive to make it worthwhile. He also allows strawberries to roam free around the edges of his veg beds. He says that the shiny red fruits are a sacrificial prize that protect other things.
Allotmenteer Steve Newland, aka @snewland97, has noticed that his brassicas suffer more from pests and disease if he grows them all in the same place. When he splits them up into lots of smaller beds of cabbages, broccoli, kale, kohlrabi with other things planted around and between, they suffer less. Especially if he grows sacrificial plants like nasturtiums nearby.
Best natural pest control tips for aphids
Aphids are a common garden pest
Image: Shutterstock
There are several ways to get rid of aphids, but Caroline from @planethouseplant recommends growing lots of parsley and letting it go to seed. Why? Ladybirds are the best form of natural pest control for aphids and they LOVE to lay their eggs in parsley!
Darren Harwood has a quick and easy way to deal with aphids – water and a hose. Don’t use the strongest setting, he says, or it will damage your plants. “Use a medium setting that gives off larger sprays of water – it will remove the aphids lovely!”
Jackie from @my.allotment.escape makes a natural rhubarb leaf insecticide to deal with aphids. Just gather a few rhubarb leaves, roughly chop, and simmer for 10 mins in a pan of boiling water. Let it cool completely in the pan before sieving out the leaves and storing the liquid for use (well-labelled as rhubarb leaves are toxic). “A few squirts on a dry day soon kills them off,” she says.
Over at @dawns_gardening, Dawn doesn’t use any pesticides. If her beautiful roses come under attack, she dons a latex glove and gently rubs the aphids away. “It sounds a bit gross,” she says, “but it’s very satisfying and the plant isn’t damaged.” She checks any affected plants again the next day and repeats the process if necessary.
When it comes to aphids, @rudge_yorkshire_gardener just lets Mother Nature do her thing. Rudge used to spray soapy water on the roses, but it used to spoil the blooms so he stopped. Now he lets ladybirds and birds clear the aphids instead.
Over at @brook_cottage_, Kay says that they often get a wasps nest in the garden, which they leave, as the wasps love eating aphids, and are never a problem. She also grows calendula, cosmos, dill, sweet alyssum and nasturtiums every year specifically to attract aphid-munching ladybirds.
Joel from Wild Your Garden with Joel Ashton has a zero chemical ethos. He leaves aphids alone, as they’re necessary food for ladybirds, lacewings & hoverflies. He also welcomes ants, because they ‘farm’ aphids as well as cleaning up caterpillars and scale insects. To attract more hoverflies, Joel plants wild fennel & angelica.
Christina from @lady_green_fingers says that her favourite method to remove aphids is with a toothbrush… “Just brush them off – little & often works for me,” she says. For bigger plants, you can use a nail brush.
Ian from DIY Home and Gardening makes his own spray from homegrown garlic bulbs that have been blended, mixed with water, boiled and then removed with a sieve. He says that you can watch the aphids leaving the plants as soon as you spray them.
Tom from @garden_with_tom leaves nothing to chance when protecting his plants from being sapped of goodness by aphids. He says: “I lightly water the plant to wash some away. Then I gently wipe and rub the remaining aphids off using my fingers. If any are stubbornly clinging on I use an old toothbrush to get in amongst leaves and stems and brush them off. I then wash the plant again and repeat the whole process if they return.”
Michelle Chapman says that aphids and blackfly are worse this year due to the dry weather. Her top tip is patience – if you leave them, the good guys will come. She says, “I left the blackfly on my dahlias and a few days later they were totally clear with some very fat and happy looking ladybird larvae in attendance.” Smaller birds took care of her roses too.
Best natural pest control tips for slugs and snails
Wool pellets are a natural form of slug control suitable for organic gardens
Image: Vitax Slug Gone Natural Wool Barrier Pellets Slug & Snail Control from Thompson & Morgan
Slugs and snails can be gently deterred by spreading the shredded prunings from pyracantha and berberis shrubs around your plants, says Stephanie from @seeds_with_stephanie. That’s how she protects her favourite hostas from attack.
In a similar vein, Sarah from CraftInvaders keeps her lavender clippings after pruning and sprinkles them around her flower beds and prize plants to repel slugs. “They hate it and stay well away,” she says.
@stellabellaestampa used the crushed egg-shell method to keep slugs off her seedlings this year. So far they haven’t been near her spinach, beans or lettuce. “But only time will tell,” she says.
Mandy from @thechattygardener finds that the new growth on her dahlias is a particular magnet for slugs. The solution? “I plant my lifted tubers in pots in spring and grow them on until the plants are big enough to fend off the slimy foe.” She keeps the pots on a table off the ground to escape slugs and snails.
Jackie from @my.allotment.escape also has problems with slugs on her dahlias. She says that she makes her own indoor surface cleaner with orange peel and white vinegar. Once she’s finished with the peel, she spreads it around her dahlias to keep the slugs and snails at bay.
Kate from @a_countrylife often has trouble protecting her dahlias in wetter springs. Not wanting to harm them, she patiently spends nights picking them off with a head torch while scattering oak wood shavings around the base of each plant.
@christophhowell is often asked about slugs and snails when he gives tours of the garden where he works. Chris recommends garlic spray but says it needs to be reapplied whenever it rains. To make it, he uses 2 bulbs of slightly crushed garlic which he boils in two litres of water. “Let it simmer for half an hour, strain, cool, then pour it into a bottle. It can be used as a concentrate by adding a little to a spray bottle.” He also recommends nematodes as an effective bio control for slugs.
Kay from @brook_cottage_ does everything she can to encourage birds into her garden to keep the slugs and snails in check. She says, “we have several nesting boxes and I grow plants with berries and wild ivy in as many places as possible.” Kay also has a wildlife pond to give the birds a place to bathe and drink.
Joel from Wild Your Garden with Joel Ashton recommends a decoy patch to keep slugs and snails off your favourite plants and flowers. In his garden, he provides an overgrown corner with sacrificial hosta and comfrey which the slugs prefer to more tender crops.
Katherine from @lemon_housegarden was hugely influenced by her forward-thinking, organic grandmother, and believes that biodiversity is the best solution to pest control. When it comes to hostas, she tries to grow the most resilient varieties that have tough blue leaves. She also uses a physical barrier of sheep’s wool and grows them in hanging baskets or inaccessible pots.
“Copper tape can provide a physical barrier against slugs and snails,” says Mel from @melslittlegarden. “The idea is that when they crawl over the copper, a small electrical charge is created through a natural reaction with their mucus which is uncomfortable for them. You can buy ring deterrents but they can get quite pricey when you are protecting lots of plants. I make my own affordable version with a cut up plastic pot collar with copper tape wrapped around it. It isn’t 100% effective but definitely better than doing nothing!”
Catherine from Growing Family agrees that copper tape works well as a natural slug and snail deterrent around pots, but it’s not so good for plants in the ground. She says, “last year I discovered that copper spiral scourers (the ones you clean your pans with) are a brilliant alternative; you just need to open one up and make a circle with it around the base of the plant. You should be able to reuse them too.”
Richard from The Veg Grower Podcast says his chickens are a huge help. “They’re free-ranging and always on the lookout for slugs and small snails, especially after a rainy spell. They help keep the pest population down naturally and are rewarded with a varied diet — and of course, they reward me in return with fresh eggs!”
“My tip is to put pieces of bramble around the base of plants,” says Karen from @welliesandwaffles. “The slugs and snails don’t like the sharp spikes on their under-bellies so won’t climb over them.” When she does find the slithery critters she collects them up and takes them to the far end of the garden. She says, “I’m hoping they get so sidetracked with the weeds there that they won’t make the journey back to the veg. Who am I kidding 😂”
Best natural pest control tips for birds and wasps
This unique brolly cloche is fitted with 4mm netting
Image: Brolly Cloche from Thompson & Morgan
Some creatures can be both a blessing and a curse. Tanya from Lovely Greens loves birds but agrees that they can sometimes become an annoyance. “Pheasants, in particular, although wood pigeons have been visiting my garden more and more. I don’t want to hurt them, but I do want to keep them away from my brassicas, seedlings, and other crops.” Tanya uses a variety of methods to keep them off, but finds that a network of sticks is effective for seedlings, and netting works a treat for everything else. If pulled tight and secured to the ground, Tanya says that good netting can keep your crops safe while preventing birds or hedgehogs from getting caught.
Fiona from English Country Life recommends making a simple wasp trap if you need to keep these stinging creatures under control. She uses a 1lt pop bottle with 3 tablespoons of jam in the bottom, topped up with water so the bottle is half filled. Then she hangs the bottle in a tree, close to any fruit that is attracting wasps. “Works like a charm!”
Sally from All That Grows gets an influx of wasps in the latter months of summer, preventing her from enjoying the garden. She says, “we find that a solution of peppermint essential oil and water in a sprayer does wonders at keeping them at bay. We spray it around the outdoor seating area in our garden and it keeps the wasps from pestering us whilst we enjoy the garden at mealtimes.”
We’d like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who shared a tried-and-tested natural pest control method. We hope this has given you plenty of new ideas to try. For more information and advice, visit our comprehensive library of pest and disease guides.
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