Last week, we talked about bugs – “the good guys”. Here is some food for thought to help you keep the good and the bad in balance.

As more & more chemicals are taken off the market, this is a great time to look at how you manage your yard & garden, and what you can do to make it a more sustainable environment.

Start with cutting back or eliminating chemicals that you may still be spraying in your yard. Although they may be effective in getting rid of unwanted bugs, or weeds, they are not necessarily selective, and you may be wiping out the good guys at the same time.  Without the good guys around to keep pests in check, you will remain dependant on those chemicals. The more you spray, the more you will need to continue to do so until you allow the balance of nature to be restored. Remember that a bug free & a weed free garden is not a natural one, and neither is it likely to be a very healthy one.  What we are aiming for is a diverse & balanced environment of bugs & plants in our yards.

Be sure to plant a range of blooming plants such as perennials, annuals or shrubs, in and around your yard including your vegetable garden. This will attract beneficial pollinators as well as provide shelter and a food source for predatory bugs when their prey of choice may be scarce.

When gathering leaves in fall, leave some at the base of trees and even pile them in the garden to give insects like lady bugs a place to over-winter.

Keep your soil healthy & viable by covering it in the fall with plant debris, leaves, compost or plant a cover crop like rye or oats and leave it in place over winter. Think of it as a band-aid covering an open wound on the earth. Your soil will be full of healthy enzymes; nutrients and microorganisms come spring, not to mention over-wintering good bugs.

Mulch your soil in spring again, after you have planted, to keep weeds in check, while continuing to build your soil. Healthy plants are lest susceptible to attacks by bugs or disease, and a healthy soil makes healthy plants.

Rotate vegetable crops to avoid building up pests or diseases in the same area, and use floating row covers in spring on susceptible leaf or root crops to prevent pest problems, rather than having to treat an infestation.

If after creating your sustainable yard as best you can, you still end up with an infestation problem, look to a product that is least destructive as a last resort, such as insecticidal soap or BT to spot treat problem areas.