Gardening naturally

For many, using fewer pesticides in the garden is the starting point to a greener garden. If you care about nature and the wellbeing of pets and family too but you don’t know where to start, we can help! The good news is natural choices also yield fantastic results.

This method is all about going back to basics. All of the work is in the preparation of soil and feeding plants correctly. This approach works to strengthen plants and therefore ward off attack from pests and diseases, reducing the need for controls in the future.

Physical barriers

Early season barriers such as netting will keep birds at bay from your crops such as pigeons off young brassicas or in the summer, from ripening fruit. Deer can also be held back with a netting frame. This The natural choice method does require forward planning as you will need to be timely in setting up your barriers. 

Fine mesh will keep off insects, such as carrot fly and cabbage white butterflies.

Plant Guard is a natural spray which forms a barrier on the top and underside of leaves to  stop fungal spores from infecting plants and stop insects laying their eggs on the leaves. By using this spray regularly, there should be no need for insecticides or fungicides.

For tackling weeds without the use of weedkiller, try to use a surface mulch of bark or other products, such as Bloomin Amazing, Weed stop Decorative ground cover, or even Weed Stop fabric. These all work by smothering the weeds so that they can die naturally from depriving access to sunlight. 

Another product we recommend is from the Resolver range and it’s called Weed Preventer. This is sprinkled onto the soil surface, forming a barrier which stops weed seeds from germinating.

Copper tape or eggshells can be used to deter slugs. New products are being developed all of the time now.

Feeding

There is a huge array of organic plant feeds available for specific plants. Our colleagues instore will be happy to help with specific plant requests. To start you off, Fish, Blood & Bone is a great all-rounder that gives a good start to plants when dug into the surface of  borders.

How to improve your soil yourself

Homemade compost creates a great soil conditioner, provides plants with essential nutrients and adds bulky organic matter to the soil. This matter acts as a sponge to hold  moisture in light, sandy soils and help break down heavy clay soils, making them easier to work.

Not only is compost so good for the garden, but it gets you into the habit of recycling more grom the kitchen too, where there is potentially a lot of unnecessary waste.

What can be added to a compost heap?

• Grass clippings that have not been treated with weed killer or a lawn ‘weed and feed’ treatment
• Soft weeds that have not set seed
• Fruit and vegetable peelings, egg shells (never cooked food)
• Out of date salad from the fridge
• Farmyard manure, horse manure, chicken and bird manure
• Chopped prunings from the garden – shred or finely chop large woody pieces first
• Cardboard and newspaper, if well mixed in and in small quantities.

No dig gardening

This is an organic gardening method that provides rich soil and prevents weed infestation. No dig gardening works by refraining from disturbing the soil. This preserves the natural processes it goes through and therefore allows natural organisms to thrive. Weeds are controlled by mulching which blocks their access to sunlight, eventually causing them to weaken and die.

We highly recommend a soil conditioner called Bloomin Amazing, which is a by-product of the green energy industry. It’s plant-based, so vegan-friendly and is 100% peat free too.  Use Bloomin Amazing as a soil conditioner by simply spreading over the surface of the  soil.

Prevention methods can take time to see results so there may be a need to deal with
an imminent issue of pests and diseases in an ethical way. Thankfully, there are natural alternatives that you can try before reaching for the chemicals. These safer alternatives are particularly important for households with pets and children.
Encourage ‘good’ pests that will eat the ‘bad’ ones Using natural bugs to help
control other bugs that may be overpopulating an area is a great, natural way to deal with pests. 

For example, if you can leave greenfly (aphids) on plants for up to a week, often
ladybirds will follow and naturally manage their numbers. Sometimes though, nature needs some extra help.

Vine weevil control

Vine weevils can cause devastating damage. Notcutts has a range of nematodes (microscopic worms) to help combat vine weevils. The range is called Nemaknights
and stops the need to use strong insecticides to deal with these pests.

Slug control

Notcutts has totally delisted any slug pellets containing the strong and dangerous chemical, Metaldehyde. Our range of pellets contain a naturally occurring ingredient, Ferric Phosphate. This is equally effective at controlling slugs but is not dangerous to frogs, hedgehogs, birds or pets. We have a new specific nematode from Nemaknights to naturally
control slugs & snails. We also sell “Slug Stop”, which doesn’t kill slugs or snails at all. These pellets stop the slug’s appetite, therefore not upsetting the ecosystem or biodiversity, but still protecting your crops. 

Other pests

Notcutts’ Naturals range offers a full range of natural controls including slug, cat, rabbit and deer repellents, ant control, bug control, weedkillers, rose blackspot preventers (Rose Guard or Rose Feed and Protect), natural feeds and many more. We will continue to research, test and introduce more natural products into our range as reliable results can be achieved.

Other natural methods of pest and disease control

Hand pick them! It’s time consuming but totally organic. 

Spray them off using a light soap solution. Hosing off a small infestation can take care of the problem.

Companion planting where different crops are planted close to one another benefitting one or both crops can work to control pests. If carried out to coincide with pest cycles, companion planting is a really useful practice in organic gardens.

Successful examples of companion planting for pest control include:

• Marigolds can deter whitefly, while other companion plants, such as sunflowers and evening primrose can encourage other insects to eat existing pests.
• Cabbage, kale, cauliflower planted with nasturtium – nasturtiums end up as a sacrificial crop. Cabbage white butterflies will lay their eggs on nasturtium plants, keeping caterpillars away from your brassicas. This also works for French/runner beans.
• Cabbage, kale, cauliflower planted with mint – mint will help deter flea beetles.
• Broad beans planted with summer savoury.

Organic fertilisers and manure

An organic fertiliser will provide consistent, quality results. Traditional fertilisers give an artificial burst of growth. 

Organic ingredients are those that occur naturally and are not man-made, such as fish blood and bone and pelleted chicken manure. Both are quick acting – ideal to add when planting in the open ground, as well as being a great ‘pick me up feed’ for the overall health of the whole garden.

Green manures help soil fertility by replacing some nutrients whilst they are growing as well as when they are dug back into the ground. Green manures make good ground cover and can also help to smother weeds.

All of our bagged compost & soil treatments are now 100% peat free. Ask a colleague for a recommendation.

Plastic-free plant pots

We now offer a plastic-free range of plant pots. Some are made from plant starches,
others from bamboo, and others from recycled old drinks bottles. 

Most of our plants are also in recycled and recyclable pots and packs.  We have plant pot and compost recycling stations at all our garden centres, for you to drop off (or even take) plastic pots for reuse and recycling.

Becoming more environmentally friendly is a journey and we will continue our improvements as we progress.