Natural Pest Control with Kitchen Ingredients

Got bugs in the garden but don’t want to douse your plants in chemicals? You’re not alone.

Thankfully, your kitchen is packed with natural ingredients that can help kick pests to the curb – without harming your veggies, herbs, or flowers.

🐜 Natural Pest Control with Kitchen Ingredients

Let’s dig into some clever and simple ways to keep your garden pest-free using what you already have at home.

🌿 P.S. If you haven’t already, check out our favorite baking soda garden tricks here. 🌿

🧄 Garlic + Onion Spray: A Stinky but Safe Shield

You might love garlic in your pasta, but garden pests? Not so much. The strong scent of garlic and onion is enough to send aphids, beetles, and even rabbits running.

Here’s how to make it:

• Chop 1 small onion and 2 garlic cloves.
• Simmer in 2 cups of water for 15 minutes.
• Cool, strain, and pour into a spray bottle.
• Spray around plant bases and leaves (avoid the heat of the day).

💡 Pro tip: Add a few drops of dish soap to help the mixture stick to leaves.

🌿 Want more recipes like these? Download the 20 DIY Plant Sprays for Indoor and Outdoor Garden Pests – it’s a super handy guide to keep in your garden tote for quick reference!

🍽️ Vinegar Ant Deterrent

Ants are stubborn little things, but they absolutely hate vinegar. It messes up their scent trails and encourages them to find a new path – far away from your plants.

How to use it:

• Mix equal parts white vinegar and water.
• Wipe down pots, planter edges, and garden borders.
• Reapply every few days, especially after rain.

💧 Avoid spraying directly on plants, especially young ones – vinegar is strong stuff!

🍋 Citrus Peel Pest Rings

Don’t toss those orange or lemon peels! Citrus oils are toxic to soft-bodied pests like aphids and slugs, and they smell great while doing the job.

Use them like this:

• Place fresh peels around seedlings or flower beds.
• Dry them and grind into a powder for a sprinkle-and-go solution.

🍊 It’s a great way to use kitchen scraps and keep bugs off your plants – win-win!

🧂 Salt & Coffee Grounds Barrier

Slugs and snails sneaking into your garden beds? Time to draw a line they won’t cross.

• Sprinkle a ring of coarse salt around vulnerable plants (just don’t overdo it – salt can build up in the soil).
• Or use used coffee grounds! They’re rough, and the caffeine can repel pests like ants and even squirrels.

☕ Bonus: Coffee grounds improve your soil as they break down – especially for acid-loving plants like blueberries and tomatoes.

🌿 Soap Spray Saver

Good old dish soap can help control soft-bodied pests like mites, aphids, and whiteflies.

Here’s how:

• Mix 1 tablespoon of mild dish soap (no degreasers) in 1 quart of water.
• Spray on both sides of leaves where pests gather.

🫧 Use a reusable garden spray bottle like this one for easy application – it’s gentle and gives great coverage.

🛠️ Wrap-Up

Using natural kitchen ingredients to manage pests is not only budget-friendly – it’s safer for your garden, your kids, and your pets. Plus, you probably already have everything you need right in your pantry.

🌼 Looking for more natural fixes? Don’t forget to grab your 20 DIY Plant Sprays for Indoor and Outdoor Garden Pests – and check out how baking soda can help your garden thrive.