Aphids!!!
The pain in my garden’s butt!!!
Because I have my kids, my pets and I care for other people’s children too pesticides weren’t really an option.
Options that I found:
A mixture of dishwashing liquid and water.
This felt like a good option because I could get the children involved too. They loved spraying the plants and squirting the ‘bad’ bugs away. This seemed to work for a little while but they just keep coming back. So this isn’t a long term option.
Companion planting
- Chives
- Coriander
- Nasturtium
These are recommended ones for dealing with aphids. This worked a little where the plants actually grew but my soil is still pretty bad so not many of them took off, also I possibly didn’t put them in the right spots. (Still learning about gardening).
This is going to be something I look into before the next time plant out my veggies. (I plan on using autumn and winter to get my soil right)
The bug hotel
My latest in the fight against the aphids, the bug hotel, and the more that I read about them the more I thought that this would be an amazing addition. Not only for the garden but the learning that the children in my care will have too.
I started by collecting my pieces of off cut wood and making a design based on what I had. I decided that a basic box was the best place to start.
I also used a hand saw (would have been so much quicker) and my jar of odds and ends.
I ripped up the old garden border in our yard because the pieces were looking very rotten and beginning to be dangerous for the children to play around. They also happen to be perfect with so many holes already for the bugs to move into. I then just drilled and screwed it together.
I also had a small garden stake that I screwed on the back so that it would be a little off the ground.
Now from what I’ve read, I don’t have to actually do anything, just providing the shelter will be enough…
I guess that time will tell.
I’ll let you know how it goes.
Wish me luck.
xoxoxo
