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What Do Organic Growers Do About Preventing Pests?
A soil which has a high level of composted organic matter and has been given the benefit of a reasonable rotation will generally produce healthy plants. Such plants, like healthy people tend to suffer fewer problems. So, contrary to the popular view, pests are usually less prevalent in the organic garden. And when plants are attacked, 'naturally grown' plants generally have a better chance of survival. That's probably why weeds are rarely troubled by pests!
Prevention
Of course problems occur in every garden. The organic gardener attempts to prevent a build up of harmful pests by ensuring as much plant diversity as possible. Potatoes in a field that has grown them year after year will be more likely to suffer from pests than those in a well-rotated garden containing a good mixture of plants.
Removing as much plant debris as possible at the end of the growing season reduces the chances of a pest overwintering. Taking away the pest's source of food and shelter will often eliminate or at least reduce the danger of a future attack. Obviously this is particularly important after a season in which the pest was active.
Predators
Encouraging the bird population may seem counter productive given their love of tender young seedlings, but on balance they do more good than harm. For example, blue tits will feast on the larvae of greenfly over the winter months and turning over the soil will expose the pupae of the onion fly and the larvae of the carrot fly to the robin.
Predators can be actively encouraged to your garden. Planting some poached egg plants, pot marigolds or buckwheat will encourage the hoverfly, whose addiction to aphids can see him get through fifty a day. The less able but more common aphid eater, the ladybird, can be helped to survive the early spring and multiply if a few nettles are left around to allow him to feed on the nettle aphid.
Repellent plants
Aromatic herbs are frequently used as pest repellents. The most common insect-repellent herbs are sage, rosemary, mint, and thyme, which are disliked by many pests including the cabbage butterfly. Sage, rosemary or wormwood planted around your carrot plot will mask the scent of the carrots and make it considerably more difficult for the fly to find them. African marigolds, have been found to keep eelworm from the roots of potatoes, cucumbers, and other plants. The roots of the marigold are believed to contain a substance that actually kills the pest. Marigolds will also deter the flea beetle, a pest which loves to make holes in the leaves of both vegetable and flowers, especially wallflowers, stocks or alyssum.
Barriers
Pests can't do any harm if they are physically restrained from reaching your plants. Nets are frequently used to keep birds from vulnerable crops. Finer meshes such as floating film or fleece are the preferred solution to carrot fly, aphids, cabbage root fly and most flying pests for commercial organic growers. But then commercial growers presumably have little time for relaxing in their garden and therefore don't mind it looking like an area for drying bed linen.
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