aphids

There are some garden visitors that love fresh, home grown vegetables as much as you do. These are the common pests and diseases of the veggie garden. They may attack the leaves, fruit or even roots of plants and many target specific vegies. If you know what to expect, it makes control easier. Here are some commonly encountered pests of...

There are lots of pests that are after your citrus trees, especially in the warmer months of the year. Here’s what to look for and what to do if you find one or more of these common pests. In addition to pest problems, citrus can also suffer from nutrient deficiencies that appear as yellowing leaves, so there are some tips...

When pests or diseases attack garden plants, the first step to fixing the sick plant is to identify the cause. Start by working out whether the problem is caused by an insect pest or a plant disease. Next, narrow it down further by either identifying the specific pest or disease, or working out how the pest is damaging your plant...

Whether its mozzies, flies or ants, did you know you can stop pests in their tracks with a range of pest-repellent plants? The secret to these plants’ pest-repellent magic is in the oils they produce, which must be released in order for the plant to be effective against pests. There are a few ways to release these plants’ pest-deterring oils. For...

Like it or not, there will always be bugs and insects in the garden. Some are good for the garden and some are not. Nobody likes the bad bugs that eat our plants, but if we eliminate them completely we lose the good bugs too. Without bugs there would be no frogs, no lizards, no birds and the garden would...

From baking soda to beer, everything you need to keep pests (and chemicals) out of your garden, is at your fingertips. Ants Mix ¼ cup of icing sugar with one tablespoon of borax and sprinkle where ants hang out. The worker ants will take the powder back to the nest and the nest will be eliminated. Keep the borax away from children and...

Spring is a great time to grow edibles both from seed and seedling, and the warm spring weather makes everything thrive. But, if you’ve never grown vegetables before, where do you start? The best starting point is the sunniest part of the garden away from competing plants such as trees. Start with a small space say one-metre square to get...

A little bit about Rhubarb Rhubarb brings out the baker in all of us inspiring the most delicious crumbles, jams and pies. Thanks to it's impressive foliage and thick, red stalks it also looks great in the garden! It's one of the few perennial vegetables so use these growing tips to enjoy home grown deserts for three or four years.   Botanical name: Rheum rhabarbarum Potential...

Imagine your garden as a giant smorgasbord. That’s how garden pests view it and, guess what, they are planning to come to your place for dinner to feast on new spring growth!

During warm weather aphids thrive, building up their numbers in preparation for an all-out assault on your tender new growth.