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Organic farming and gardening information

information on garden pests, beneficial insects, weed control and soil

Prepared by A.O. Kime, former Arizona and California agricultural Pest Control Advisor (1970-1992) and family farmer (1973-1998) - (includes some guest articles)

1. common garden insect pests
2. beneficial insects
3. weed control
4. soil types and fertility tips
5. miscellaneous

1. Common Garden Insect Pests... how to kill (control) the most common garden insect pests

Recap: There are approximately 1,500,000 species of insects in the world (about 800,000 in North America) of which some 10,000 of these are classified as pests because they are harmful either directly or indirectly to crops and livestock. A single insect pest species may cause harm to only a single variety of plant, or to dozens, or to even hundreds of plants... be it vegetables, fruit, grains, fibers or ornamentals. Grasshoppers, for example, are not particularly selective and will do damage to many cultivated crops which would include most anything grown in a garden.

The control of garden pests is, of course, of paramount concern. For pesticide recommendations, see your local university extension agent or nursery. If you prefer using organic 'natural' controls - which would include the use of beneficial insects (predators) - see biocontrol agents if unsure of the terminology.

Organic farmers and gardeners have more at their disposal than just beneficial insects however. The short list is: (1) genetically engineered plants which have disease or insect resistant qualities available (also known as genetically modified organisms (GMOs), (2) cultural controls one can adopt which help prevent pest buildups and plant diseases, (3) beneficial bacteria (bacillus thuringiensis) which is effective on some plant pests and (4) a fungi-produced antibiotic for plants (streptomycin).

For broad spectrum control, one could consider Neem Oil which has shown great results as a botanical insecticide, miticide and fungicide. The oil is extracted from the seeds of the neem tree (Azadirachta indica), native to Asia. One pint of concentrate will go a long way.

See aphids
See armyworms
See flea beetles
See grasshoppers

2. Beneficial Insects for Gardeners... insect predators and other beneficial insects

Recap: There are dozens of insects which are beneficial to man... mainly insect predators, plant pollinators, weed-eating invertebrates and those which are helpful in conditioning the soil such as earthworms. Most of these are insect predators however, beneficial insects which are harmless to crops but attack insect pests which ARE harmful. And while all these predators play an important role, most have limited applications or a single 'niche'. However four (4) predators are used for a wide variety of applications... the Green lacewing, ladybugs, Praying mantis and Trichogramma wasps.

The rest of this group of beneficial insects are the pollinators (honeybees and others which play a lesser role), weed-eating invertebrates (certain moths, weevils, beetles and flies), and those which help condition the soil (earthworms primarily).

See earthworms
See green lacewing
See ladybugs
See praying mantis
See trichogramma wasp

3. Weed control in gardens

See Organic Weed Control Guide
See Weed Control Facts: Winning the Battle of the Weeds

4. Garden Soil Types and Fertility Tips

See Soil Basics - Creating Fertile, Healthy Soil
See Soil PH And Its Effect On Your Garden
See Keeping Soil Healthy
See The Answer Lies In The Soil
See Why You Need A Compost Tumbler For Your Garden

5. Miscellaneous

See Biocontrol Agents for Organic Farming… the terminology
See Biological Oddities of a Transcendental Nature
See why DDT (insecticide) was banned in America in 1972
See other articles on agriculture
For a list of (Australian) biocontrol agents commercially available, see Biocontrol Agents
To learn about genetically modified organisms see GMO's

Last modified: 05/18/13