Are you cursing at those pesky bugs and disease that continue to affect your harvest? You’re certainly not alone! Whether you grow in soil or hydroponically, pests and disease can be a limiting factor that cannot be ignored. There are a few simple steps to take in order to prevent infestation and infection:

1) Maintain a sanitary growing environment-even though cleaning is work and not fun, it is a necessary step conducive to growing healthy plants and yielding bountiful harvests

2) Choose disease- and pest- resistant plant varieties-there are a number of plants that naturally resist these enemies so do your research prior to choosing your plants

3) Properly ventilate and keep your growing area the proper temperature for your specific variety of plant-different varieties thrive under different conditions so be educated when setting up your grow area

4) Monitor your plants and growing area-at the first signs of pests or disease, treat and you will be more likely to stave off further intrusions.

There are many options, today, for treating these pests and diseases. A simple removal of obvious pests and a foliar spray, with a product like Serenade or Azamax, can greatly reduce, if not eliminate your problems. Serenade is an OMRI certified, broad spectrum, preventative biofungicide recommended for the control or suppression of many plant diseases. We’ve had many customers use this successfully to treat powdery mildew. Azamax, is derived from the neem seed, and is also OMRI certified. It is a botanical insecticide, miticide and nematicide which acts as an antifeedant, repellant and insect growth regulator that is not harmful to beneficial bugs.

The use of beneficial bugs is another effective means of eradicating pests without the use of harmful chemicals. We order our bugs through a company called Nature’s Control, located in Oregon. They provide lady bugs, praying mantis eggs, spider mite predators, housefly parasites, pirate bugs, predator nematodes and many other beneficial insects.

Whether you garden indoors or out, in soil or not, these are valid ways of reducing your pest and disease problems.

Do you wonder why you see vegetable and fruit washes everywhere now?  Well, part of the reason behind washing your food before you eat it is because of all the pesticides that are sprayed onto crops to eradicate pests.  Here is a list of the foods with the most concentration of pesticides:

1. Strawberries
2. Bell peppers (green and red)
3. Spinach (tied with number 2)
4. Cherries (grown in the United States)
5. Peaches (grown in Chile)
6. Cantaloupe (grown in Mexico)
7. Celery
8. Apples
9. Apricots
10. Green beans
11. Grapes
12. Cucumbers

What better reason do you need to grow your own!?!

Source: http://www.diet-blog.com/07/pesticides_the_12_most_tainted_foods.php