If you have the time and the inclination to create an organic summer garden there are few better ways to do when it comes to the potential impact on the planet.

A summer garden is a thing of beauty to be enjoyed by all you invite into your garden.

So we are going to be discussing some of the things to keep in mind when as you are growing and setting up your Organic Summer Garden to make it the most successful it can be.

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That being said, let's dive into the problem that I quite honestly didn't expect when growing a garden is that there are pests we'd all like to keep out of our gardens that can affect the growth of plants and the ability to harvest fruit or vegetable from these plants.

Keep Pests Out

There are many ways in which to keep pests out and the most commonly turned to is pesticides.

The problem is that the pesticides of the past have undetermined side effects that have the potential to cause lasting harm.

If we can avoid introducing those chemicals to our own gardens we are protecting our kids from dangers we may not even be aware of yet and protecting the other animals that may innocently come in contact with our gardens such as birds and butterflies from being harmed by the chemicals present in most common pesticides.

What does this mean to gardeners when it comes to efforts directed towards keeping out potential pests?

Quite honestly, it means we are going to have to get a little bit creative in those efforts turning to natural solutions rather than chemicals.

One way in which this can quite easily be accomplished is by encouraging animals that prey upon the pests to make your garden their home.

Of course, this could potentially bring about its own set of problems but from a gardening perspective it is often very sound reasoning.

Another way is to search out different oils that repel or kill the pests that are currently destroying your harvests.

This reminds of two summers in which I had planted Zucchini in my Summer Garden.

We love fresh zucchini out of the garden, so when I found squash bugs, my first instinct was to reach for a store bought pesticide that could repel them.

Unfortunately, it didn't work.

So I found a more natural solution that actually worked!!

The secret was Eucalyptus Oil like this one that I found on Amazon.

But how to use it, because you don't want to simply pour it on your plants, that will kill them.

Instead fill up a generic spray bottle with water, place about 1/2 teaspoon in the bottle, and a couple drops of soap (this last step with the soap is if you currently have bugs, it kills them, so you can skip that if you want).

Now personally I wanted to use soap that I know is not going to hurt the environment or my plants, which is this one.

Once you have it all together, DON'T SHAKE IT, you don't want the bubbles and if you went without the soap, simple start spraying it where pests might show up and the Eucalyptus Oil acts as repellent for future pests.

Just make sure you are not spraying it too heavily to deter bees for pollinating.

Use Organic Mulch.

While this isn't necessarily a means of pest control it is a wise move when it comes to organic gardening.

This may seem like a no brainer, but your garden grows in soil, the plants take nutrients from the soil to grow and therefore depleting the soil.

Therefore, you will need to replenish the nutrients using mulch and soil after each summer in the spring or fall.

Not only does the mulch provide the very useful mulching properties throughout the growing season but once the growing season has ended, the plants can be turned over and used in order to boost the organic material within the soil.

This in turns provides nutrients that are important to keeping the soil fit for sustaining plant life in future growing seasons.

Attract Birds To Your Garden.

This has a two-fold benefit for the organic gardener.

First of all the birds are often natural predators for many of the bugs that make a nuisance of themselves in the average summer garden.

Second, birds leave behind their own little fertilizing additions to the landscape of your garden.

Don't you wish all solutions were this simple?

One easy way to attract birds is all birds like water.

They need to drink water and they actually enjoy playing in the water.

With this in mind make sure there is some sort of water source available for the birds to enjoy in your summer garden.

Some excellent choices would be a water fountain, a goldfish pond, or a waterfall.

The key in this is to make sure that the water source is not a stagnate water source as you want to attract birds and not mosquitoes.

Other than that, have fun creating a neat place for your bird pals to frolic and play.

Conclusion

Keep your garden healthy, well fertilized, watered regularly and appropriately, and free of weeds.

A good offense is the best defense.

Similarly, a good immune system and constant hand washing are the best defense the human body has against catching colds and viruses.

The same holds true for gardens and their ability to fight pests.

Keep your garden strong and healthy and it will repel many of the pests that may cripple other gardens on its own.

It certainly doesn't hurt anything to keep this philosophy in mind and you may be amazed at how well it works.

Organic gardening is more than a plan for your garden it is a return to the ways of old in the world of gardening.

For centuries before pesticides were created we managed to live off the abundance of our gardens.

It makes sense that by returning to those ideals we can also enjoy great food and a bountiful harvest in the modern world.

Make the choice today to make your summer garden an organic garden and reap the benefit in better health and greater enjoyment of the gardening process.

If you found this helpful, make sure to follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, or simply join me on the Wix app so you get notified whenever a new post goes live.

Also, if like me, you are aware of what is going into your body is important, make sure to check out these products that I know and trust to be clean and safe for both you and your family in creating the best health possible with simple easy supplements and cleaning products for your house and body.

Make sure to also check out how to start a summer garden with your kids.

I would also love to hear about what you have struggled with in having a successful garden?

Has it been what to plant, which plants to plant together, or whether doing a raised garden is right for you?

Let me know in the comments.

Talk again soon!

Sarah Lawyer

Stay at home mom