Most insects in the vegetable garden are harmless. In fact, many are downright beneficial. However, the species labelled as “pests” can hurt your plants and frustrate your gardening efforts. The good news is that a little prevention goes a long way, and there are methods for dealing with most pests that do decide to call your garden home.

Prevention: The Best Strategy

The best defense against garden pests is a healthy garden. Strong and vigorous plants can better tolerate pests and recover more quickly after an infestation. Your garden should be located in a sunny spot with well-drained and nutritious soil. Try to practice companion planting and avoid monoculture, which means planting only one type of crop. Make sure you also water regularly and prune plants when needed to avoid an infestation in dead or diseased parts.

Common Pests in the Garden

Despite your best efforts, you might still end up with pests. Here are some of the most common infiltrating insects and what you can do about them.

Aphids
Aphids are small, sap-sucking insects that cluster in colonies on the underside of leaves. Almost all plants are susceptible to aphid damage, and an infestation can grow quickly. The first line of defense is to simply hose the plant down and knock the aphids off, repeating as often as necessary. Insecticidal soap and pyrethrins are also used for aphid control.

Colorado Potato Beetle
Colorado potato beetles lay bright yellow egg clusters on the undersides of leaves. The resulting reddish-orange grubs and yellow and black striped adults will eat your plants’ foliage. Eggs, grubs, and adult beetles can all be hand-picked and destroyed if spotted. Pyrethrin and rotenone are also used for control.

Cutworms
Cutworms are leaf-eating caterpillars that will chew holes on your plant leaves, usually at night. You can try to find them and pick them off by coming out after dark with a flashlight, or you can try wetting the ground around damaged plants with some soapy water. BTK or permethrin are often recommended as a pesticide solution.

Flea Beetles
Flea beetles are tiny black beetles that leave small round holes in turnip, cauliflower, radish, tomato, potato, and cabbage leaves. Seedlings are more susceptible to damage, as most plants can outgrow the damage once they start maturing. Use floating row covers for the first few weeks after transplanting to keep the beetles out, and keep plants well-watered so that they grow quickly. Pyrethrins and rotenone are recommended if the beetles get out of hand.

Slugs
Slugs can damage plant foliage, flowers, fruit, seed pods, and even roots! They come out at night or in damp conditions. The best way to beat back an infestation is to hand-pick and destroy them when you see them, especially on a cloudy or rainy day. You can also try to create zinc, copper, or diatomaceous earth barriers around raised beds to help deter them.

Garden pests can be frustrating, but they don’t have to spell doom for your plants. By keeping your garden healthy, checking your plants routinely, and learning how to deal with infestations, you can keep pests at bay and enjoy a plentiful harvest.