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Years ago an elderly couple told me to plant marigolds around my vegetable garden. They supposedly kept bugs and tiny critters out of the garden. Marigold foliage is bitter so small animals don’t like it.
I planted a row all the way around my garden and had no problem with bugs on my veggies or little animal like rabbits munching on them. A row of dill also works. It is worth a try so you don’t have to use chemicals like bug spray.
It worked for my garden.
@Virginia 115872 wrote:
That is great that it worked for you, however, when we tried it it didn’t work for us. We had rabbits sleeping in our Marigolds. That is where they put their nests–didn’t stop them from eating the garden veggies, that was their midnight snack.
I guess it depends on the rabbits. Thanks; Virginia
if that didnt work for you, there are plenty that are poisonous to rabbits, they wont eat them because they know they cant..lol
I love marigolds, my mom used to grow them all the time in the garden. I like Jaimes idea, if the rabbits get into the garden let them finish what they are eating, and everyone is happy. Thanks for posting this Janice, I have forgotten about the marigolds.
We have raised beds, but it would look nice with the flowers in it too.
I love Marigolds too and I do plant them just not for the purpose of animal control as (as I said) that never works for us. I grow a lot of herbs and flowers but again not as a means of animal control. If letting the rabbit in the garden to eat a cabbage works for you I would say go for it–but I have never seen them stop at just one plant.
I have seen a lot of lists of supposedly poisonous plants to rabbits and other critters but have seen with my own eyes rabbits, deers, etc. eat some of those so called Poisonous plants that are listed with no visible affects to them. Just as some plants are listed as poisonous to humans and are used in medicines and some parts of plants are poisonous but some parts are used as food.
Garden Tips are all trial and error; where some work for some people under some conditions they do not work for others.
Here is a recipe for a homemade Insecticide.
Red Pepper Spray Concentrate:1 unpeeled onion
1 unpeeled head of garlic
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
3 pints waterChop onion and garlic then combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Simmer 20 minutes.
Cool and store in jars in the refrigerator for 6 weeks then strain and store concentrate in a cool dark place. (Be sure to label the jar!)
To use, dilute 1 tablespoon of concentrate with 1 pint of water. Add a little Ivory soap or (Dawn–original formula works good) dish washing liquid. Shake and spray on plant.
NOTE: For your own safety, wear gloves when handling peppers and pepper spray.
Here is one for bugs only:
When you trim potently scented herbs, such as lavender, rosemary, tansy, wormwood, rue, mint, basil or sage, drop small pieces in a gallon bucket of water and let the mixture sit for a week. Strain the brew and store it in a cool, dark area. Add 2 Tablespoons of liquid soap to the brew, and decant into a spray bottle to kill off aphids, beetles, and other pests.Hope this helps. Thanks; Virginia
Here is a spray using Marigolds
Marigold Spray
To make: Mash 1 cup of marigold leaves and flowers. Mix with 1 pint
of water. Let soak for 24 hours.Strain through cheesecloth. Dilute
further with 1 1/2 quarts of water then add 1/4 teaspoon of Castille
soap. Spray target areas.Target insects: Repels asparagus beetles, tomato hornworms, leaf
cutting and chewing insects, like leaf cutting bees on your roses and
lilacs.Hope this helps. Thanks; Virginia
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