PESTS...PESTS...PESTS!Vegetable garden pests are specific animals that cause 'injury' to the growing plants and are regarded by people as unwanted guests! UNWANTED GUESTSSome of these unwanted guests include various species of Snails, Slugs, Caterpillars, Aphids and Possums. We have included pictures of some of the unwanted species that you can look out for in your garden.   |
 Helix Aspera, the common brown snail, from Europe... a very unwanted guest!   |
Limax maximus Linnaeus, The Great Striped Garden Slug   |
Cabbage White Caterpillar  Â | Â  |
Plant Lice, Aphids   |
Trichosurus vulpecula, Common Brushtail Possum - with a carrot! SOME 'SEMI WELCOME' GUESTS... ! Some Snails are not as 'unwanted' as the 'imported' varieties. Native Australian snails such as Victaphanta atramentaria, from Victoria, are carnivorous snails. They like to eat living plants, decaying vegetable matter, insect larvae and other snails and slugs!  As long as we can keep these native snails away from the living plants, they are welcome to everything else, especially the imported snails ...!   |
Native snail ~Victaphanta atramentaria  Native snails can generally be found in areas with native vegetation so lets get planting!   LEOPARD SLUG   |
The European Leopard Slug can be mildly helpful in our vegie garden as it likes to 'clean-up' decaying vegetable material. You may find it eats your dog's food too though, so keep a close eye on it! HOW DO WE KEEP OUR 'UNWANTED GUESTS' UNDER CONTROL?The Home Grown team offers a couple of environmentally friendly suggestions; 1. PORRIDGE OATS.....! "Porridge oats, as pest control, are we mad?" "No, we're not!" Sprinkle a small amount of porridge oats around your vegie bed to encourage the snails and slugs to dine at ground level!   |
If you have a Possum population in your area you may also decide to leave a small portion out for them as they too love oats. Note: The Home Grown Project does not wish to encourage the feeding/domesticating of wild native animals however we feel it is better to work with the natural environment rather than 'disposing' of it. Remember to replenish your oat supply regularly, especially if it rains! 2. RELOCATE...! To reduce the number of snails and slugs dining on your oats, you may like to try one of the following; THE ORANGE PEEL TRAP...   |
Place several empty orange peel halves on the ground around the garden. This will give the snails somewhere to hid as the sun comes up each morning making it easier to catch and relocate them.   |
3. HIDE AND SEEK... A great way to catch and relocate snails and slugs from your home vegetable garden is to head outside two hours after sunset with your torch, gloves and bucket and see how many you can find! You will also need to look for and remove any caterpillars that you might find in your vegetable garden. Make sure you wear gloves! You should also look for and remove any little white or yellow caterpillar eggs from the underside of leaves.   |
The Cabbage White Caterpillar loves broccoli and cabbage leaves. 4. WASH OFF OR SQUASH... Aphids are the lice of the plant world. When our hair becomes infected with lice we... wash, wash, wash and squash, squash, squash. The same goes for plant lice! |  |
BIRDS AND YOUR VEGETABLE GARDEN!Here are some ideas that may assist you with scaring birds away from your garden. 1. - A good old fashioned Scarecrow.   |
2. Shiny, reflective objects. Â  |
3. Signs that contain reflective eyes.   |
4. Potato and feather sculptures - Are the cockatoos in town?   |
If you would like to share your creative, environmentally friendly, bird scaring idea with The Home Grown Project community, feel free to e-mail us a picture! REMEMBER: ORGANIC PEST CONTROL IS GOOD FOR OUR ENVIRONMENT...YOU JUST HAVE TO WORK A LITTLE HARDER TO ACHIEVE THE DESIRED RESULTS!
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