Pest alarm in the raised bed: How to save your garden treasures!

Pest alarm in the raised bed: How to save your garden treasures!

When it comes to raised beds, editor Julia Gerold from Murtal in the Styrian country celebrated impressive successes with her first cultivation attempts. Started at the end of March, she was already able to get a regular harvest from broccoli, carrots, lettuce and peas. "The plants thrive splendidly, and the raspberry and strawberry plants have many fruits," she says delighted. But gardening is not always a sugar. Snails, caterpillars and the summer heat are particularly challenges that affect the plants. Gerold reports that she had to replace some of her vegetables such as the Graz Krauthathel with more resistant types of salad to withstand the heat.

A particularly popular vegetable, the carrots, were harvested early. "The fresh peas that we harvested a few weeks ago are simply delicious!", Enthusites the gardener. Some of the peas were blanched and frozen, and the carrot green is used in smoothies and pesto. The effort also paid off for the various flowers - including marigold and nasturtium. These are also harvested, while dried raspberry leaves and apples are processed for a homemade "garden tea".

pest problem in the raised bed

Despite the proud yield, there are also dark sides: the snails and caterpillars in particular are targeting the plants. "I have accumulated them regularly and use copper wire and cinnamon in the bed, which at least helps against the snails," explains Gerold. However, the caterpillar problem still remains unsolved. For the next extension, she plans a retinal hood to keep the harmful insects away. Up beds are a real growth driver for plants, but they also attract many pests. The most common include naked snails, aphids and cabbage white caterpillars, which often cause disappointments when gardening depending on the region and the climate.

Regular care is essential to counteract a pest infestation at an early stage. A clean environment in the raised bed, removing dead plant remains and the use of high -quality earth are simple but effective measures. In order to prepare themselves against various pests, a mixed culture is also recommended. For example, Dill, which attracts useful insects such as ladybugs, can be planted next to the salad and parsley, while lavender keeps aphids away as an outer planting.

natural defense strategies

"In my experience, it is worth investing in the plants that offer a natural defense against pests," adds Gerold. Plants such as capuchin cress serve as bait for caterpillars, while the yellow rain farn is warding off ants. Garlic and onions can also be used against snails and at the same time create a natural barrier in the raised bed. The two failed cultivation attempts from tomatoes show that gardening can become a blow to the account - only after a third attempt including sheep wool in the raised bed could be celebrated.

The challenges of gardening can have a discouraging effect, but motivate the joy of cultivation and the freshly harvested products. Gerold regularly keeps the readers on their way with updates about their progress on MeinDzirk and thus also encourages others to realize their own high-bed dream.