It happens to the best of us. Hours spent planning, planting, and protecting your home garden, and then… a plethora of unwanted pests arrive. Aphids attack absolutely everything in sight. Cucumber beetles conquer your squash. Beetles bomb your brassicas and slugs slime your seedlings. Seemingly overnight, prized plants become sad sights with sticky residue, curling leaves, and stunted growth.

So What Is A Home Gardener To Do?
Here at Pinetree Garden Seeds, we try to see the benefit of all the little creatures that enter our garden—but we’ll choose beneficial bugs over pesky pests any day! Stop fighting the forces of nature and start outsmarting them.
By proactively planning and planting your beds for pest prevention, you can preserve your plots without introducing pesticides and other damaging chemicals into our shared natural environment.

Gather Your Intel

Remember that all bugs are not bad for your garden and, in fact, some insects are your front lines of defense. Ladybugs and lacewings eat avaricious aphids. Some types of wasps attack caterpillars and grubs. And even beetles can be helpful at containing ground-dwelling pests. Just because you see a bug in the vicinity of a damaged plant does not make that bug a perpetrator. It might be a protector!
Now that you better know your enemy, survey your battlefield. Knowing your unwanted guests are coming can help you build better defenses. Watch carefully where and when particular pests converge. Which crops are the most attractive? And at which stage of their growth? Record your observations so that you can better decide which crops you need (or want) to protect and where to focus your attention.

Article “Ultimate Companion Planting Guide“, courtesy of Pinetree Garden Seeds.