this post was submitted on 28 Apr 2026
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Gardening

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Outdoor veggie and fruit gardeners, how do you protect your crops against disease and from becoming a buffet for pests and wildlife? (lemmy.ml)
submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by yo_scottie_oh@lemmy.ml to c/gardening@lemmy.world
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I'm growing tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers for my first time not on a balcony, and I'm a tad concerned about caterpillars, squirrels, and other wildlife finding their way to my crops; that said, I would like to keep my space as earth friendly as possible, so chemical pesticides are out. I've read blog articles about trimming the lowest branches to prevent disease and planting trap crops such as nasturtiums and marigolds to lure pests away from the tomatoes. Do these techniques actually work? How do other gardeners handle this situation?

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[–] merde@sh.itjust.works 6 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

tomatoes don't attract insects as much, with them disease will be your main concern

for caterpillars and aphids, on other plants, we use a brush. For aphids, I tried black soap solutions but it was useless. Brushing them away while encouraging predatory insects works for us.

repellent companion plants, i came to think, are a myth. Sacrifing some (i guess that's what you call "trap") plants helps.