How to nurture and protect your garden, without relying on pesticides

From embracing a new planting philosophy to learning to troubleshoot problems, renounce pesticides and discover the joy of organic gardening with these tips

A couple of bottles of pesticide are staple items in many garden sheds. Big, beautiful blooms and prize-winning produce are goals many of us share, and these miracle bottles can seem like the secret ingredient for sowing success. But while pesticides can help to transform a space, they’re not the only option when it comes to creating a bountiful back yard, and there are gentler, more environmentally friendly ways to care for your garden.

But going organic and opting for a more natural way of gardening isn’t merely about avoiding harm. It also comes with a full harvest of positives, including working on the skills needed to read and interpret plants and crops, learning to let go of perfectionism, and embracing the natural order of things.

Here, we’re exploring the steps you can take to forgo pesticides, and create a thriving garden with natural interventions.

Embrace lazy gardening

Miracle-promising marketing, and a product for every problem under the sun, may have you believing otherwise, but one of the best things that you can do for the health of your garden is often to take a bit of a step back.

Feeling forlorn over piles of leaves building up on your lawn and borders? Sweep pathways to keep them safe and clear, but leaves left to decompose become a natural fertiliser and soil conditioner. What’s more, they can also improve water retention, suppress weeds, and provide a safe habitat for garden creatures – providing the foundation for a rich and healthy environment. A well-balanced ecosystem is a self-sustaining one, and it turns out that doing nothing can do a lot.

Reframe the idea of ‘pests’ and ‘weeds’

While there’s nothing wrong with keeping a garden that is planned and cared for, reframing the ideas of ‘pests’ and ‘weeds’ can help you accept that a level of decay, damage, and untidiness is perfectly normal, and another element of a healthy environment.

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) encourages gardeners to think of ‘pests’ as ‘wildlife in the wrong place’. It reminds us that our plants can usually handle some level of damage, and the aim shouldn’t be to eradicate these creatures, but to balance them to a tolerable level. Similarly, ‘weeds’ are simply plants growing in places we would prefer them not to, and most weeds are native species that provide food and shelter for wildlife.

Use biological controls

When you do want to take action, biological controls are natural predators that can help you manage and balance your garden ecosystem. Unlike pesticides, biological controls don’t cause any damage to your plants, or your health, and they can actually be more effective at targeting a specific problem. For example, got an aphid infestation? Introduce some ladybirds. Got a slug problem in your veg patch? Bring in some nematodes (microscopic worms, applied to the soil with water).

There are a couple of ways you can do this. One option is to buy beneficial insect larvae and release them. Or, you can plant specific flowers and herbs (such as marigolds, lavender, mint, and chives) to attract them into your garden naturally.

Learn to spot problems early

When you can spot and identify problems early on, it’s much easier to take action. For instance, you find some fungal spots on the leaves of your climbing plants, and quickly snip the infected leaves off – the problem should be resolved, and no treatment is required. Or your veg patch is looking a bit limp, so you assess the drainage of the soil, and create a watering plan that is more suited to the needs of your garden.

Not only will you learn new skills, but you can also save yourself a lot of money by treating problems quickly, without the need to splash out on cures once issues have spread. Head to gardenorganic.org.uk for tips and advice on organic gardening.

At its core, gardening is about tuning-in to the natural world, and creating something beautiful with it. Organic gardening asks us to think again about what ‘beauty’ really is, and the benefits of doing so flow beyond the borders, and into the rest of our lives.