Anyone who gardens is very aware of all that there is to learn on the subject of pest and disease management. Even those who study this subject for a living find this a lifetime pursuit. This can be very discouraging for the backyard vegetable gardener who wants to grow plants and doesn’t have the time to learn all the possibilities of what can go wrong. Therefore, I will offer some simple suggestions and tell you what products you must have to tackle most of the problems you will incur. 

Diseases

First and foremost you want to take care of your plants, growing healthy plants is a great way to fight diseases.

Next, you want to buy disease resistant varieties. This will go a long way. Look in your seed catalogs and there should be some letters next to a type of seed. For example, if you look at the Tomato Park’s Whopper Improved Hybrid, you will notice the letters VFFNT. This means that there are diseases that this variety is resistant to. Looking at the legend, this means that it is resistant to Verticillium Wilt, Fusarium Wilt 1 and 2, Nematodes, Tobacco Mosaic Virus. Right there, those are five diseases you won’t have to worry with. 

Another way is through crop rotation. If you plant in the same place you did last year, then your chances of getting a disease increase greatly. Most of us backyard gardeners don’t have the luxury of rotating crops since we don’t have very much space. Therefore, if you begin to have problems with this then you may need to go a year without growing that crop. You can also solarize your soil if you are having lots of problems. Here is how- Solarizing Soil.

Pests

Keep in mind I will be talking basics here. For specific information on a pest that you are having problems with, contact your local extension office and they will help. 

First, you will want to buy 4 basic pests controls. Sevin, Malathion, BT, and Slug and Snail bait. With these four, you will be able to take care of the majority of potential problems. Here are some basic rules of thumb with these chemicals, read the back for the full skinny, but basically if it flies then I use Malathion, if it crawls I use Sevin, if it is a worm I use BT and always put slug and snail bait around the perimeter of your garden. These are very rudimentary principles, but again, this post is for the those that don’t have the time to learn it all. 

Sevin or Carbaryl- You can buy this as a dust or spray. Like any chemical this is not good to inhale or get on your skin so be careful with it and don’t use when windy. You can buy this anywhere like Home Depot or Walmart. If you start to notice a problem, then use it. Don’t feel like you have to use it just because. Just keep an eye out for ants, beetles, etc.

Malathion- You will want to get a simple sprayer to dilute this chemical with water and the spray on your plants. Again, this is toxic and you should only use when you see a problem with aphids, or leafhoppers etc.

BT- Bacillus Thuringensis- This is the good stuff. This is an organic chemical that is not toxic. This means that you can put it right on your fruit and eat the fruit the same day. These other chemicals will cause you to wait a week after using before harvesting so that you don’t ingest the chemical. BT doesn’t work as fast as the others, but it is favorable due to its organic nature. You may have to use multiple applications if you see a problem since it is weaker. It is particularly good for worms like tomato worms, cutworms, earwigs etc. This chemical is called by different brand names like Thuricide. Here is a picture if you are having trouble finding something like it.

With this chemical, you don’t have to be so reserved about using it. I usually have problems with my broccoli and cauliflower, therefore, when they start to head I spray this on whether or not I have any pests. Since it is not a harmful chemical I don’t feel bad. Same with corn, I always have earwigs so I spray this. You will need to buy a new bottle every year since it is a bacteria and it will not be effective the longer it sits. It is inexpensive, about $10. 

Slug and Snail bait- You can buy this anywhere, and I would advise you use it before you see a problem since I guarantee a problem if you don’t.

So there you have it, buy these four chemicals and you should be good to go. Remember, ask a pest/ disease management expert for specific problems. Your local extension office has volunteer master gardeners that are there to help with these needs.

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