So you’ve gone organic and you are growing your own garden! Tired of those pesky bugs? Then I have just the recipe you’ve been looking for that is safe for your food–an all natural insecticide spray and weed killer. Did you know that garlic and onions are natural antibiotics for people and pets. Well they work on repelling pests as well. As for the weeds, did you know that cornmeal keeps seeds from germinating? A mulch cover can also help keep away the extra weeds. Covering the area with newspaper and throwing mulch on top also helps. Even pouring hot, boiling water on the weeds will kill them. Salt will also keep the weeds out, but be careful not to get it close to your plant.
Some other simple hints for your garden to keep rabbits out, apply human hair on the plants. To germinate seed quickly, cut your seeds and put into water. To get rid of slugs, use an aluminum pan filled with beer. Apparently slugs like beer. Add coffee grounds to flowering plants to help them bloom quickly. And if your tired of the birds feeding off your berry tree, try tying an aluminum pie tin to it. The reflection can be annoying for them.
If you are already thinking about next year, try High Mowing seeds for your garden. The reason I like them is because all their seeds are non-GMO which are the healthiest. I also like the Tower Garden concept if you aren’t into dirt. A Tower Garden system is kind of an aeroponics system. I really like their concept because it makes farming easy for the city dweller. You can grow your own garden in your backyard without soil and just water. The vegetables grow at a faster rate as well. You need access to electricity to run this unit as well as the seeds and pH kits. Apparently the system starts out at around $500 plus. This system lets you garden without using pesticides as there is no dirt involved. How easy is that? The Tower Garden unit is 50 lbs. and a full reservoir of 20 gallons of water is 175 lbs.- so that is 225 lbs. The weight of the plants themselves will vary with size ( seedlings to full grown plants), which plants are grown, how much pruning is done, etc.
For a cost comparison…A grocery bill from a local store (at the time of this writing) for swiss chard, green leaf lettuce, tomato grapes, red bell peppers and cucumber was $11.60 per week or $46.40 a month. It is not organic. The Tower Garden runs approximately $45.25 a month for a year and you have the wonderful payback in “more than organic” produce. The only “Must Have” every year after that is the all natural earth mineral Tower Tonic that you add to the water in the reservoir. There is no dirt, pesticides/herbicides or weeds and it uses 90% LESS of H2O than in traditional gardening methods. It needs 4- 6 hours of full sun is ideal for about 6 months of growing outdoors in the northern region of the US. Indoors with the grow lights has been ideal for lettuces, greens herbs, peppers, kale, etc. You may also need to put it on wheels to move it in and out of the sun once in a while.
Organic Gardening
Lastly, if you are interested in purchasing an organic product instead, check this one out. Please also see my post on hydroponics without electricity or soil. Gardening is fun no matter how you do it. Let’s get ready for the next planting season shall we?
- 10-15 garlic cloves
- 1 onion
- 1 tablespoon cayenne powder
- 1/2 teaspoon liquid Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap
- 4 cups warm water
- Mix and puree in a blender the above ingredients, except for the soap, being very careful with the cayenne pepper as it will burn your skin. Put aside for about a day to ferment together. Then add the soap and shake well in a sprayer bottle.
- Spray only the leaves, but thoroughly.
- 1 gallon of white vinegar
- 1 oz. of Dr. Bronner's Castille soap
- Combine together and put into a spray bottle.
- You must be VERY careful what you spray as it can kill grass and plants. Try out first before using in a large area so you understand the strength of your vinegar and its effects.
Wow, I have never made spray for killing weed before. Have used acv and salt though. Anyway, awesome tips!