I have been asked a few times now about my approach to pest control. I must admit, it was a big worry of mine when I started to grow on a relatively big scale. I am probably tempting fate to deal me a bad hand this year, but so far things have usually worked out well.
However, as an organic grower, my biggest crop problems have had nothing to do with insects, birds or rodents, it is competition from weeds. This subject alone will probably turn into a set of articles, but I mention it here because weeds are the things that keep me awake in the early hours, not aphids, caterpillars or even the dreaded slug. That is not to say that I don’t have any problems from pests, just not as many as you would imagine.
Why a re weeds such a problem to the organic grower? Because they are everywhere, they grow vigorously and they put up a good fight. If you are a new veg grower don’t underestimate the battle to come, weeds are vicious.
When I first started growing field scale crops, I managed to clear the soil to a brilliant weed free tilth, sowed my seeds and watched in dismay as the soil was swamped by thousands of tiny seedlings. I didn’t even see my carrots emerge from the ground, direct seed sowing will punish the naive.
Weeds are not much kinder when you are planting transplants. You do have a time window whilst your lovely plants sit in a sea of beautiful clean soil, but don’t expect things to stay this way. If you lift your attention you will pay with hours on your hands and knees trying to put things right. You need to hoe and cultivate the soil constantly if you want to stay ahead of the game. Running a hoe down a line of veg takes only a few minutes, pulling them out by hand will take hours and your crop will have already have been badly retarded if it survives at all.
It’s gets worse though. Even if you stay on top of the hoeing, some weeds still put up a good fight. Couch grass is a horticultural terrorist that grows around, under and even through crops. Its pointed roots will pierce through potato tubers and emerge through the other side; try to hoe that my friend.
There are methods to beat all these weed problems and I will tell you how I have dealt with them over the coming weeks.
I don’t really have a problem with weeds as I have a small garden which I grow most stuff in containers. However I have problems with slugs 🐌 and snails. I use slug pellets and copper tape. My problem is I feel so guilty killing them. I sometimes chuck them in the grove knowing a car will run over them this way I don’t feel as guilty.
Ah, the moral dilema of killing your pest. That is a tough one. I think seasoned gardeners and growers have a lifetime of dissapointment and frustration to take out on whatever hapless creature has decided to eat our food. You sound like you have found your own way of dealing with it.
As gardeners and growers we litterally cannot take a step into the garden without killing something purely by putting our feet on the ground; some ant or beetle is going to perish. Every time you put a spade in the soil (as long as it is healthy soil) some poor worm is going to be chopped.
If you are growing food to eat its either you or the slug who is going to starve. Compensate for your impact on nature by making sure you provide some wild habitat in your garden or growing area where wildlife can live un-hindered. I will be putting out more on my approach to slugs and snails in later posts.