You’d be amazed at the lack of natural pesticides available.
I’ve met so many master gardeners who insist that growing food without pesticides is impossible. As a new gardener years ago, I was discouraged to hear this same rhetoric from trusted gardener friends. I needed some natural pesticides, and I wasn’t going to take ‘no’ for an answer.
Fortunately, I was able to also make friends with some amazing organic gardeners. Seeing their successes with natural methods encouraged me to push forward in my organic attempts to develop some of my own natural pesticides.
Today I’m proud to say that everything we grow here on our farm is completely organic and natural. We don’t use pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides. We don’t use treated wood chips or synthetic fertilizers. We make our own compost, and use the fertilizer generously provided by our organic and holistically raised chickens, goats, and sheep.
And as a result, we grow the most delicious veggies, fruits and nuts year-round here on the farm.
Providing a year-round supply of {organic, pesticide-free} food…
Most people think living in Arizona means a yard of cacti and zero ability to raise your own food.
That couldn’t be further from the truth. Because we have a secret (natural pesticides).
What we grow here on our ONE acre in the Phoenix, Arizona valley…
We have a 500 sq. foot garden, a large pasture in the back and fruit/nut trees everywhere. Take that into account with these numbers!
Spring
ANIMAL HARVEST:
Egg from chickens, milk from goats.
GARDEN HARVEST:
Snap peas, Carrots, Parsnips, Lettuce, Spinach, Chard, Kale, Onions, Garlic, Celery, Tomatoes, Peppers, Cabbage, Broccoli, Sunflowers, Cilantro, Parsley.
TREE HARVEST:
Pomelos, Strawberries, Blueberries, Plumcots, Mulberries, Loquats.
Summer
ANIMAL HARVEST:
Eggs from chickens, milk from goats.
GARDEN HARVEST:
Green Beans, Potatoes, Tomatoes, Peppers, Cucumber, Squash, Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Basil, Parsley.
TREE HARVEST:
Peaches, Blackberries, Grapes, Mangoes, Cherries, Figs.
Fall/Winter (Arizona doesn’t really have a fall, we go from sweating in October to freezing in November):
ANIMAL HARVEST:
Eggs from chickens, milk from goats
Every fall/winter, we raise and butcher 30 meat chickens for the freezer.
Every fall/winter, we butcher a 1 year old lamb that’s been raised on our grass.
GARDEN HARVEST:
Corn, Carrots, Lettuce, Spinach, Chard, Kale, Squash, Pumpkin, Eggplant, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Broccoli, Sweet Potatoes, Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Dill, Mint.
TREE HARVEST:
Bananas, Almonds, Avocados, Pecans.
Natural Pesticides in the Garden: The Ultimate Guide
Here are a few little tricks that organic gardeners use as a natural pesticide. I use ALL of these methods in my garden.
- Companion planting (some pests don’t like certain herbs, so planting them around your garden will help).
- Cedar wood chips as mulch (cedar deters pests).
- Neem oil (the neem tree has many properties, but one is that it helps deter some pests I use this mostly on corn and squash when during the late summer when bugs are the biggest problem).
All of these work well, but I’ve found that making my own natural pesticides has made a WORLD of a difference in keeping pests at bay.
How to make Natural Pesticides
Essential oils are more concentrated than the herb themselves so I find they are a fantastic addition to my natural garden! It’s also MUCH easier to purchase a White Fir essential oil, rather than try to find a local source or have a branch shipped to you. The variety of plants you put into this spray is what makes it so powerful.
{Homemade Pest Spray} One of my favorite natural pesticides
Deters: Ants, Fleas, Aphids, Snails, Spiders, Caterpillars, Slugs, Pill bugs, Gnats, Flies, Cutworms
Recipe:
Makes 16 oz.
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- 20 drops Peppermint essential oil
PEPPERMINT OIL ADD TO CART (free shipping)
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- 20 drops White Fir essential oil
WHITE FIR OIL ADD TO CART (free shipping)
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- 20 drops Thyme essential oil
THYME OIL ADD TO CART (free shipping)
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- 20 drops Cedarwood essential oil
CEDARWOOD OIL ADD TO CART (free shipping)
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- 20 drops Spearmint essential oil
SPEARMINT OIL ADD TO CART (free shipping)
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- 20 drops Lemongrass essential oil
LEMONGRASS OIL ADD TO CART (free shipping)
Add all essential oils into a 16 oz. glass spray bottle (where to buy). Fill the rest of the way up with witch hazel (where to buy).
Rodent Spray
Deters: Cats, Mice
Recipe:
Makes 2 oz.
- 20 drops Peppermint essential oil
PEPPERMINT OIL ADD TO CART (free shipping)
- 20 drops Rosemary essential oil
ROSEMARY OIL ADD TO CART (free shipping)
Add all essential oils into a 2 oz. glass spray bottle (where to buy). Fill the rest of the way up with witch hazel (where to buy).
Mosquito Spray
Deters: Mosquitos
Recipe:
Makes 2 oz.
- 1/2 of a 5mL bottle (roughly 125 drops) of TerraShield (dōTERRA’s repellent blend which has Ylang Ylang Flower, Nootka Wood, Cedarwood Wood, Catnip, Lemon Eucalyptus, Litsea Fruit, Arborvitae Wood essential oils and Vanilla Bean Absolute in a base of Fractionated Coconut Oil and Tamanu Seed Oil.)
TERRASHIELD OIL ADD TO CART (free shipping)
Add 1/2 the bottle of TerraShield into a 2 oz. glass spray bottle (where to buy). Fill the rest of the way up with witch hazel (where to buy).
Pollinator Attractor
Attracts: Bees and Butterflies
Recipe:
Makes 2 oz.
- 15 drops Wild Orange essential oil
WILD ORANGE OIL ADD TO CART (free shipping)
- 15 drops Lavender essential oil
LAVENDER OIL ADD TO CART (free shipping)
- 10 drops Marjoram essential oil
MARJORAM OIL ADD TO CART (free shipping)
Add all essential oils into a 2 oz. glass spray bottle (where to buy). Fill the rest of the way up with witch hazel (where to buy).
Essential Oil Sprays for Companion Planting
Purpose: Improves flavor and growth
Companion plant booster for Tomatoes, Beets, Cabbage, Peppers, Asparagus, Potatoes, Beans, Eggplant
Makes 1/6 oz.
- 10 drops Basil essential oil into a 1/6 oz. glass spray bottle. Fill the rest of the way up with witch hazel.
BASIL OIL ADD TO CART (free shipping)
Companion plant booster for Cabbage, Broccoli, Beans
Makes 1/6 oz.
- 10 drops Rosemary essential oil into a 1/6 oz. glass spray bottle. Fill the rest of the way up with witch hazel.
ROSEMARY OIL ADD TO CART (free shipping)
Companion plant booster for Potatoes, Spinach, Tomatoes
Makes 1/6 oz.
- 10 drops Cilantro essential oil into a 1/6 oz. glass spray bottle. Fill the rest of the way up with witch hazel.
CILANTRO OIL ADD TO CART (free shipping)
Companion plant booster for Beans, Peas, Cauliflower
Makes 1/6 oz.
- 10 drops Lavender essential oil into a 1/6 oz. glass spray bottle. Fill the rest of the way up with witch hazel.
Garden Hand Scrub
Helps: Scrub all the dirt out of those creases while nourishing and moisturizing your hands!
Recipe:
Makes 2 c.
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup salt
- 20 drops Lavender essential oil
LAVENDER OIL ADD TO CART (free shipping)
- 10 drops Geranium essential oil
GERANIUM OIL ADD TO CART (free shipping)
Add all ingredients into a bowl and combine well. Store in a wide-mouth pint jar (where to buy).
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Do you use Miracle-Grow on anything on your farm?
Hi Michelle-
No, DaNelle doesn’t use Miracle-Gro. She uses compost from her farm and purchases fish emulsion and worm castings. You can find the products she uses here: https://www.weedemandreap.com/resources/
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Do you spray the soil, the plan or both?
Hi Crissy-
DaNelle sprays both.
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Well hello, from Croatia!
Just accidently stumbled to this awesome page, and I am so glad to discover someone so truly dedicated to make everything green and as nature intended it to be- pesticide free. You are truly an inspiration. Best wishes from across the ocean…
So, Michigander here. I have a squirrel problem. Do you think the mice spray will work for them? They took out one of my broccoli transplants like it was a linebacker.
Hi Ashley-
Lol! Not about your squirrel problem, but about your description!:)
Yes, the mice spray should work. Always reapply after a rain. And if you have a cat or dog let them in or near your garden. The smell of them typically frightens squirrels away. I hope that helps! Best of luck!
Thank you
-Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Wow. Thanks for making it so reader-friendly and giving the recipe in the same article. I have only used Neem oil so far for leaf miners. My main concern is Aphids in my Hibiscus plant. I really have to do something about it. It is in the middle of the garden and I am scared that it might spread across, passing the infestation to the other plants.
Hi Nehal-
The homemade pest spray that DaNelle suggests should work great for your situation! Best of luck! Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Hello! So excited to try the garden pest spray. I have all the essential oils except white fir and thyme. Are they necessary for the spray’s effectiveness or could I go without?
Thank you!
Hi Melissa-
Yes, you can make the spray without those EO’s, but it may not be quite as effective against cutworms, biting insects, snails, and slugs. I hope that helps. Thank you-Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Do you have a repellant for scorpions other then lavender?
Hi Elaine-
Besides lavender plants and oils, citrus and cedar oils help repel scorpions. You can also apply diatomaceous earth, which is non-toxic, around the areas you want to keep scorpions out of. Keeping your yard, garden, etc. free of debris will help as well. If you do happen to get stung by the little buggers though, this article DaNelle wrote helps you treat it with frankincense oil:
https://www.weedemandreap.com/natural-solution-scorpion-stings/
I hope this helps! Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Hi DaNelle. I was watching the YouTube video of your family painting and cleaning out the garage. When you looked at your tomatoes you stated that you had put a food out that kept the pest from eating your tomatoes. Would you please expand on that. Thank you.
It’s to feed birds so they don’t eat my tomatoes:)
So glad I stumbled across this post! Thank you for sharing your recipes.
We have crows in the field behind our garden. Any idea what essential oil may be used to repel them?
Thank you! Also I have some soy in my garden, should I use the lavender booster for it?:)
Absolutely!
Have you tried butterfly pea tea 😀
Hi! Thank you so much for these amazing recipes! The bug spray is working so well! I saw that you use the plant boosters once a week but how many sprays at the time? Because the 1/6oz empty quickly if you use more then one spray at a time!:)
Yay!! I’m so glad it works for you! I don’t spray too often, maybe once a week but just one to two spritzes.
Why is it that you use witch hazel? Can you just use water? I’m just curious on the reasoning. Thanks.
Hi Kristy,
Essential oils mix a bit better with witch hazel and witch hazel is often used as a natural pesticide by itself, so I think it’s a great addition to these sprays:)
Is there any vegetables not to put Basic Bug Spray on? Thank you, again!
Nope, they all respond well to it!
How heavy do you spray Basic Bug Spray Recipe? I have 13 containers and I used about 16 oz. The oils aren’t expensive, but the witch hazel was over $4. If I need to use several times a week won’t be price effective. How little can I use and it still work. THANK YOU!
Is it safe for honeybees?
I usually do it about once a week and it should be safe for bees:)
Thank you for labels and recipes. One question, at what frequency do you use the companion veggie sprays?
Again , thank you
Hi Bonnie, I use it about once a week:)
Thanks for the recipies! But , how often and in what amount do you spray them? Especially the Basic Pest spray? Do you spray it on your plants, or only on the ground? And, if you’ve had cucumber beetles, have you seen it deter them?
Hi Carrie, I don’t have cucumber beetles, but I do spray the basic pest spray every few days on everything.
How heavy do you spray? It took almost a full 16oz bottle to cover my raised beds. We have 5 good size homemade raised beds but I was thorough in spraying the whole plant on a lot of them. Thank you.
Hi Kara-
DaNelle sprays them lightly, enough to cover them, but not fully soak them.
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
can’t wait to try these recipes!
Thank you for these recipes and the free labels! I love using my oils with my gardening and this just opened up even wider for me! 🙂
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