How To Repel Garden Pests Using Ingredients From Your Kitchen

Aphids

Mark says: “I have used this homemade insect repellent for plants many times. Use a watering can to sprinkle it on plants to repel aphids and other soft bodied insects.” 

The recipe: One garlic bulb, one onion bulb, one teaspoon tabasco and one litre or quart of water. Mix in blender until smooth. Water on to plants. 

Snails

Mark says: “A legitimate garden pest. Slugs and snails love to eat hostas and many other garden plants.”

The solution: Fill a pie plate about half full with cheap beer and sink it into your garden, level with the soil around it. The slugs are attracted to the yeast—they’ll try to take a sip and drown. Egg shells also work. Crunch them up finely and sprinkle them around the garden. The slugs won’t want to cross the path of shells.

Ants

Mark says: “The people who sell ant controls to garden retailers tell me that the demand has exploded over the last few years. Here are some at-the-ready controls.”

The solution: Place cucumber peels flesh side up. Ants hate the bitterness of the skin and should go elsewhere. Cinnamon also works. Sprinkle it over the path that the ants are taking to deter them.

Rabbits

Mark says: “They’re much less cute as they chow down on my Swiss chard and carrot tops! Here’s how to control them.”

The solution: Make a concoction of two raw eggs (rotton eggs work best), one litre of water and one teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Mix in a spray bottle and apply to the ground of your garden. Another solution is to use chicken wire to fence in your veggies. Make sure it’s one meter high and buried at least six inches deep. 

Mosquitoes

Mark says: “They love to suck our blood… but the fact is, we can’t afford to live without them as they are a primary food source for so many desirable wildlife. However, here’s how to keep them under control around the cottage and at home.”

The solution: Empty bird baths one a week and replace with fresh, clean water. Or pour one drop of dishwashing liquid on stagnant water to destroy the surface tension, which will sink mosquito eggs and prevent larvae from turning into adults.

Raccoons

Mark says: “Sorry, no panacea here. In my books raccoons and squirrels are higher life forms. They outsmart us every time.”

The (kind of) solution: If you have a compost pile, secure it down with wire cables. And of course, make sure to close your garbage bins and garage doors at night. 

Originally published June 2016; Updated June 2018.