Spring is nearly here and you know what that means – it’s time to start planning your garden! If you’re like me, you love organic food straight from your own vegetable garden. There is just something so satisfying about gathering foods from the garden that you have grown yourself and preparing family dinners from veggies that you know are safe. But, do you really know that they are safe? What kind of pesticides or insecticides are you using on your garden every year? Do you know that some of those products contain ingredients that can be harmful to your family?
So what are you to do about the bugs? Well, you could always make your own all natural pesticides and rid your garden of bugs without putting things on your foods that may be harmful. And, I have just the list of homemade insecticides to help you. I have found 10 all natural DIY insecticides that you can add to your garden this year to knock out those bugs that eat your plants. And, these don’t contain anything that will be harmful to you or your family. DIY really is the better way to go. And you should also check out these 15 organic homemade fertilizers that will really help those plants to grow.
Most of these insecticides can be made with things that you probably have in your kitchen right now. From mild dish detergent and baking soda to essential oils, you may have everything that you need to keep those pesky bugs off of your plants this spring and help your plants to grow strong and beautiful. And, if you want to get started really early with some seedlings or you want to keep those fresh veggies and fruits coming all year long, be sure to take a look at these 20 free DIY greenhouse plans.
1. Easy DIY Garden Fungicide And Pest Deterrent
This easy to make homemade garden fungicide will keep your plants healthy and deter pests. You just mix baking soda, mild dish soap – preferably something biodegradable without phosphates – and water. You just mix the ingredients together into a spray bottle and spray your plants regularly to help them grow healthy and bug-free. And, there is nothing in this solution that could be harmful to you, your family or your pets.
2. Homemade Essential Oil Pesticide
If you have yet to discover the joys of using essential oils, you really need to start now. And, this homemade essential oil pesticide can be your first project. This one is so easy to mix up and it works really well on all types of bugs. You use three different essential oils and mix with water and a mild dish soap. Then just spray this on your plants and watch those bugs find a new home. There are some wonderful DIY essential oil sprays for your entire home.
3. DIY Natural Garlic Pesticide Spray
Garlic deters much more than vampires. You can use a homemade garlic spray in your garden to keep slugs, snails, aphids and just about any other garden creature off of your plants. You just mix garlic cloves and water to create the solution and it is safe enough to use as often as you need it – although just one spray is enough to deter most garden pests. Plus, the garlic is a natural solution that is perfectly safe and healthy and it won’t penetrate your plants – so your cucumbers won’t taste like garlic.
4. DIY Insecticidal Soap
This easy DIY insecticide uses Fels Naptha soap and water and it is one of the most effective sprays that you can make. It’s also much cheaper than anything you can buy at the farmer’s supply store and it is much safer for you to use on your garden plants. You just grate the soap and create the solution – it only takes a few minutes – and then spray all of your garden plants to rid them of those pesky bugs and insects.
5. DIY Peppermint Oil Garden Spray
Peppermint oil smells wonderful and it can really help you to keep pests away. There are some great DIY home spray recipes that use peppermint oil to keep ants and flies out of your home and this one uses the same essential oil to keep bugs out of your garden. You can get peppermint oil at any health food store or anywhere that they sell essential oils – I buy mine at the Dollar Store and it’s just $5 per bottle.
6. Homemade Garlic Mint Garden Plant Spray
This homemade garlic mint plant spray works after just an application or two and it keeps away all of those pesky garden bugs. This one is super easy to make up and it gives you much better results than anything that you can buy in the store – plus it is all natural so it is very safe for you and your family. The combination of garlic cloves, mint leaves and cayenne pepper will rid your garden of bugs and help to repair damage to plants that are already affected by insects. Once you learn how to quickly peel a head of garlic, this one is a cinch to mix up.
7. Homemade Oil Spray For Vegetable Gardens
If your garden is affected by aphids, spider mites and other crawly pests, an easy to make homemade oil spray is the answer. This one only needs dishwashing liquid, cooking oil and water and it is super effective against those bugs that want to eat your veggie plants before they have the chance to produce. It’s also really safe to use – it won’t harm your plants or the foods that come from them.
8. DIY Insecticidal Castile Soap Spray
Castile soap is super safe for your garden and it can be very effective in keeping those pests away. You don’t even need that much soap to mix up a spray bottle full so one package of soap will do several spray bottles of insecticide. You want something used on your plants that isn’t going to harm them or cause chemicals to build up on the foods that they produce. Castile soap is perfect because it is safe to use on plants and effective on bugs.
9. Homemade Veggie Soup Insecticide
Believe it or not, the vegetables that you are growing in your garden can actually help you to keep those plants safe from bug infestations. For this natural veggie soup solution, you need garlic, onion, jalapeno, dish soap and a few other basic supplies that you probably have in your kitchen right now. You make a soup from the ingredients and then store in a spray bottle. The combination of ingredients make this one effective against just about any bug that may try to infest your garden.
10. Homemade Neem Oil Spray
Neem oil is excellent for keeping away all types of garden bugs and this solution is really easy to mix up. You will need pure cold pressed Neem oil, along with an antiseptic type liquid soap and some water to mix this up. You just mix up all of the ingredients than then spray your plants a time or two until you notice a vast improvement in the number of insects. It shouldn’t take more than one or two treatments to rid your garden of insects and leave your plants healthy and thriving.