Part I of Chem-Free Gardening Series

Pests are one of the many culprits that make it difficult for gardeners to keep from using chemicals. Although you may have the best intentions of starting a garden, there are lots of unwanted critters who will be ecstatic about your choice, for all the wrong reasons. But before you go for the quick fix and grab a can of pesticide, consider all the reasons why you should choose an organic fix instead. 

Are your garden pests resistant to pesticides?

Commercial farmers today actually rely a lot on pesticides. Large companies sell pesticides to farmers that use them on their crops. Over the years the unwanted insects become resistant to the pesticides and more pesticides end up needing to be used. So the farmer pays more and more cash and more and more pesticides get dumped on our food. The result is a coated crop and a pesticide resistant bug, a crop that is much more susceptible to further insect pests.

Protect your organic soil and practical insects

While pesticides could eliminate the pest, many times they create much more harm than good. Unfortunately, some estate and commercial gardeners are unaware of replacements to pesticides. This is because of our culture to grab a quick fix, even though it may be dangerous.

Yet apart from damaging the soil and being a health hazard to people—including our children—pesticides present another really big problem. Pesticides eliminate species indiscriminately, which  causes the beneficial garden insects to disappear along with the harmful ones.

Not killing bugs on a wholesale degree will save your garden in the long run. Useful insects are more sensitive to pesticides than the pests, so by killing them, you could end up growing your pest population. This may lead to having to use even more pesticides to eliminate the new problem. Not only this, eliminating all the bugs will upset the ecosystem and ruin your plants as well as your soil.

Do gardens have desirable insects?

The reality is that not every insect is an unwanted insect. Just ask any kindergartner and even they know that bees pollinate flowers.  They’ll also likely tell you a ladybug is good luck.  Ladybugs are a very beneficial natural pesticide, and one that you definitely want in your garden.  They feed on all sorts of unwanted insects, including aphids. If you ever see these insects in your garden, leave them be!

Are you harming the local bird population?

Recent studies have been conducted on pesticides’ effect on local bird populations. Birds consume the insects, which have ingested the pesticides. Since the pesticide is an indiscriminate poison, the bird is targeted as well. Furthermore, if the birds do not immediately disappear, their eggshells become thinner and thinner and regularly break as soon as moms and dad birds sit on the eggs. This is a huge problem for Bald Eagles in North America.  As the insects and birds start to disappear, the predators that prey on the birds disappear too, causing a huge disruption in the local ecosystem.

Natural pest control is rooted in a healthy, balanced ecosystem. Years of using pesticide might be so disruptive to a local ecosystem that the land could become unusable after only a few years.  Pesticides persist in the soil and become more concentrated along with each year of use, eventually causing the soil to be unable to produce healthy plants.

Can the soil heal?

There is hope. Even if you’ve already introduced chemicals into your soil. At the least, you can include organic material into your soil to dilute the chemicals.  You can also look up the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) online to learn exactly how to amend the soil.

Summary

All things considered, it’s easy to see why going the organic way to eliminating pests can be beneficial to not only your garden, but to you, your family, and the entire ecosystem!

**Keep an eye out for the next part in our series, where we dive deep into what your options are for safely eliminating those pests! Remember to share any natural solutions you’ve tried in the comments or in our Facebook group!**