Gardening Tips
Ronnie Barron, Cheatham County Extension Director & Agricultural Agent shares information on pest control this month.
Nothing is more aggravating to vegetable gardeners than to work hard getting the soil ready, planting, and seeing your plants grow, and then PESTS attack. Garden pests are simply a normal product of nature, but we can try to control or at least manage them with a little forethought and effort.
First, try to select garden vegetable varieties that have at least some disease resistance. That will not prevent all of the disease problems, but it is a good start.
Also, be sure the soil is fertilized (and limed if necessary) according to a University of Tennessee Soil Test. This will help make sure that the plants have their proper nutrition. Adding compost is a good practice to increase the soil organic matter. This will help increase soil water holding capacity and improve the soil microbiology population. A light mulch, such as wheat straw, will keep soil at a cooler temperature and help minimize loss of soil moisture.
Next, if you have to supply supplemental irrigation to your garden, be sure and water the soil and not the foliage or fruit on the plants (as much as possible). Wet foliage on your plants can create an excellent environment for bacterial and fungal diseases to thrive.
Another thing to consider is the addition of companion plants, such as marigolds, nasturtiums, dill, and other herbs, can help attract beneficial insects that might want to invade your garden. Beneficial insects are your friends, as many of them actually feed on the destructive insect species.
Finally, be sure and contact your local Extension office to help get a positive identification and control recommendation on your vegetable garden pests. Click here to find your Extension office information.
Here is a link with specific control/prevention recommendations for garden insect, disease, and even weed control issues. Happy gardening!
To learn more about horticulture check out the UT Hort Website.
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