8 SIMPLE & Organic Ways: What to Spray on Vegetable Garden for Bugs!

Every gardener, no matter if you are a pro or a beginner, is looking for an efficient way to deal with harmful pests. If you’ve been wondering what to spray on your vegetable garden for bugs, we’ve got not one, but several suggestions. These natural ingredients are great for pest control and will make your life and gardening so much easier.

Vegetable oil spray

Vegetable oil is one of the best natural insecticides that you can actually find in your kitchen. There is no need to splurge on expensive products because you can make one yourself and it won’t take too much of your time. If you’ve been wondering what to spray on your vegetable garden for bugs, now you have the answer.

Vegetable oil can kill the little pests that are destroying your garden because it covers their bodies and doesn’t let them breathe. The bugs will suffocate and will help you solve your problem without using chemical harmful insecticides. It works great for spider mites, thrips, whiteflies, aphids, and more.

To prepare the vegetable oil spray you should mix one cup of vegetable oil and one tablespoon of soap. Mix the two ingredients very well. Also, you can keep it in a jar for a few weeks, however, make sure that you’re storing it in a dark and cool place in your house. It’s best if you transfer the liquid into a spray bottle for easier use. Moreover, before you spray, mix two teaspoons of the mix with one quart of water. Shake everything together again and spray it on your vegetables.

Soap spray

Soap is another amazing ingredient that can help you get rid of bugs. You don’t want any pests destroying the garden that you worked so hard on! That’s why you should reach for the dish soap that you have at home and prepare a homemade natural insecticide. Soap is extremely useful against whiteflies, aphids, mites, and beetles.

Even if you’re not a big believer in natural pest control, this soap spray will change your mind. You’ll notice that it’s made with the two simplest ingredients, and it’s safe for your whole household. If you’ve been having doubts about harsh chemicals, check out what you can do. Soap works in a way that dehydrates bugs and pests. It coats their bodies, clogs their pores, and prevents them from breathing.

To prepare the recipe, combine five tablespoons of dish soap with four cups of water. It’s best if you pour them into a spray bottle so that you can use the spray right away. Also, don’t forget to mix the two ingredients very well. You can use it whenever you need to, however, it’s better to avoid days that are too hot and sunny and, rather, use it during the morning or in the evening.

Neem oil spray

Neem has been used for a very long time in medicine as an amazing natural ingredient. Now you can fight the bugs in your vegetable garden with neem oil. Thanks to its bad smell and bitter taste, bugs will stay away from the plants, and you will be able to avoid using chemicals.

The oil is extracted from the neem tree that grows mainly in India. Although it can affect pests, it’s not toxic to people, animals, or birds and it can be used for cooking.

This oil is both an insecticide and has antifungal properties. In other words, it can kill pests and kill fungi. It works on mites, aphids, corn earworms, whiteflies, scales, and more, at all stages of their life. When it comes to fungi, it’s effective on rusts, wilts, mildews, rusts, and more. This oil spray messes with their hormones and prevents them from eating your vegetables.

The recipe is quite simple and easy to prepare. Combine one teaspoon mild liquid soap, two teaspoons neem oil, and a quart of water. Mix all the ingredients together and transfer them to a spray bottle. Spray it on your plants and voila! What’s even better is that you can use it as a prevention for the vegetables that you know will probably get attacked by bugs. It will keep them safe for a while, then you can spray again. The average effect of this oil spray is around 20 days. Also, it works best for younger plants.

Use the spray in the morning or in the evening, so that you can protect the bugs that are actually good for your plants.

Diatomaceous earth

Pest control will become much easier once you learn how to use diatomaceous earth. This insecticide comes with a complicated name, but it does an amazing job at keeping your garden safe from bugs. You can use it to get rid of aphids, crickets, snails, centipedes, Japanese beetles, and more. It’s most effective for bugs that get in touch with the garden or crawl on the area where you sprinkle it.

Diatomaceous earth comes from a rock that is created with algae called diatoms. You can find it in many garden stores. This natural ingredient uses dehydration as a mechanism to kill bugs. It strips their lipids, dehydrates them and solves your pest problem. To apply it, you just need to sprinkle it on the soil or on the plants.

Diatomaceous earth does the best work when you add it to a dry area. You should avoid using it right after it’s rained or after you’ve watered the plants. So, apply it when the soil is dry and it will stay on top of the soil. Water can transfer it to the lower parts of the soil, and that’s something you don’t want to happen. First, sprinkle it on the plants while the soil and area are dry. If it rains, you should repeat the process. You should also avoid using it on flowers.

Garlic spray

Bugs hate the strong scent of garlic, so it’s only logical to use this vegetable to fight those little pests. They are so unhappy with it that they decide not to feed on vegetables. This is great news since most of us already have garlic at home. It makes the whole experience effortless, plus cost-efficient. Although it’s still not completely clear whether garlic kills insects or just repels them with the scent, it still does a good job at keeping them away from your vegetables.

To protect your vegetable garden all you need is 10 to 12 garlic cloves, a quart of water, and a blender. Fill the blender with the garlic cloves and blend to get a puree. Next, add the water and mix the ingredients together. Leave the garlic spray overnight and use a strain to transfer it into a quart jar. To finish the recipe, you will need to also add one teaspoon of mild liquid soap and fill the rest of the jar with water.

Before using the garlic spray, you will need to dilute one cup of the mixture with one quart of water. You can fill it in a spray bottle for simple use.

To upgrade the recipe and make it stronger you can add half a cup of vegetable oil or one tablespoon of cayenne pepper. After you add these ingredients, you need to let the mixture sit overnight and strain it again. Dilute with water before using it as we described above. Feel free to use it for several weeks, it won’t go bad. Just keep it in a cool and dark spot.

Chile pepper spray

This is another powder that you probably have in your kitchen cabinets. Hot peppers are hot and can be very irritating to bugs. It’s most effective for squash bugs, aphids, and Japanese bean beetles. Before you start making any recipe make sure that you’re careful because hot peppers can be irritating to the skin, eyes, nose.

If you want to prepare a chile pepper spray, you will either need chile pepper powder or fresh hot peppers. Combine one tablespoon of powder, a few drops of mild liquid soap, and one quart of water. Mix all the ingredients together. Transfer the mixture to a spray bottle and you’re ready to go. If you only have fresh hot peppers, don’t worry, we’ve got a recipe for you as well. Blend half a cup of hot peppers in your blender with one cup of water. Once you’re done, add one quart of water to the mixture. Let it boil and leave it on the side. Wait for the mixture to cool down and use a strain. Include a few drops of mild liquid soap and transfer it to a spray bottle.

You can apply it in the evening so that it does its magic during the night when the pests come out. The spray is effective for up to one week, after that, you’ll have to reapply it. After picking your vegetables, wash them very well.

All-in-one homemade spray

Okay, now let’s mix many different ingredients that fight bugs that can damage your garden. What better way to keep your plants safe than to combine several natural ingredients that are either insecticides or repellents?

This all-in-one homemade spray includes garlic, onion, cayenne pepper powder, liquid soap, and water. Put one bulb of garlic in your blender together with one onion. Blend them together. Next, combine the mixture with one tablespoon of cayenne pepper and mix everything together. Let it steep for about an hour. When the time is up strain it, and add one tablespoon of liquid soap. Your new insecticide is ready to tackle the bugs in the garden. It can last up to seven days, but make sure that you keep it in the fridge.

Tomato leaf spray

If insects have been all over your vegetable garden, it’s time to spur into action. Did you know that the leaves of tomatoes can help you get rid of these pests? Let’s start with the fact that these leaves contain alkaloids that are successful in the fight against bugs. Tomatine and solanine are the two chemicals that do the job. Another interesting thing is that tomato leaves are rich in nicotine, which is very powerful against bugs and insects. You can both grow plants and use them to fight the bugs that attack them at the same time. Impressive, right?

Now, for the recipe. You will need two cups of fresh tomato leaves and one quart of water. Chop the leaves and add them to the water. Let the mixture stay overnight and use a strain to transfer the water into a spray bottle. You can spray it directly on the plants.

Summary

After reading about all of these choices will you go back to using store-bought chemical pesticides or will you decide to make yours at home? As you can see, ingredients such as soap, chile pepper powder, tomato leaves, and garlic can all be used for pest control. The recipes are very easy to make, and they will save you some money.