Part Two on Pests

As mentioned earlier, pests are inevitable in any garden. For organic gardeners, there are a few good tricks of the trade.

Get to know the bugs in the garden, too. While some bugs see the garden as a buffet created for their enjoyment and nutrition others are helpful and considerably less destructive. (Check out this nifty page of photos from a UK gardener. Some are different, some the same, but it's well done.)

Other simple ideas to ward off pests or just stop them are listed below, and this list of recipesalso looked handy.

Cutoworm Collars

This absolutely classic remedy for cutworm is perhaps the simplest one yet. Simply fold newspaper or a sturdy piece of thin cardboard (from a cereal box, etc.) into a strip about four inches wide and perhaps six inches long. Fashion it into a circle or collar around the stem of the seedling, and push it into the ground about an inch. The cutworm operates below the surface of the soil usually, and this will simply detour it around your plants. This page offers some good additional information on cutworms, too.

Slug Beer and Boards

Another classic solution to pesky slugs that snack on cabbage plants is a shallow pan of beer in the garden. Just set it out the night before and in the morning the slugs are swimming. Chickens love this now marinated appetizer when they first run out of the coop, too! A board placed in the garden near the affected plants can also do the trick. Set it out at night, and turn it over in the morning to pluck off the little guys. Check out this list for even more ideas!