My garden so far is completely organic. Meaning, that I don’t use any chemicals of any kind. And that’s the way I’d like to keep it. But as the summer goes on, I’m finding more and more bugs and pests in and around my garden. Luckily for me, and those of you who also want to keep your gardens chemical free, there are a variety of plants and flowers that will do the same job as pesticides – only without harming our delicious fruits and vegetables.

Here is a list of 20 plants you need to have in your vegetable garden. These plants may surprise you! I had no idea that these plants not only looked beautiful and tasted wonderful, but also can help deter pests and bugs from the garden.

1. Basil - A favorite herb of mine anyway – and I already had some in my garden of course! Basil repels aphids, flies, mosquitos, and mites. It also has fungicidal properties. If you plant basil around your tomato plants, you won’t have to worry about icky hornworms.
2. Borage - This one I was really not familiar with, but found out that it is an herb sometimes called the starflower. The leaves taste like fresh cucumber and are used in salads and soups especially in Germany. The flowers are sweet like honey and are often used as edible decoration. It is also good for planting around your tomatos as it repels tomato worms.
3. Catnip – Cats love it, but ants, fleas and mosquitoes hate it! I see this herb in the supermarket and until now have just passed it by not knowing what to use it for. Next time I see it, I’m buying it!
4. Chamomile – Great for a relaxing pre-bedtime tea, the camomile plant keeps cabbage moths out of your garden.
5. Chives – A baked potato isn’t the same without them, but aphids don’t feel the same! Plant chives especially around your roses and lettuce.
6. Feverfew - A really pretty flower that almost looks like a daisy, and found in old gardens. It is often used as a medicinal herb. For my purposes, it is known to keep moths away. I’ll put some in pots by my front door and see if it truly works!
7. Lavender – Smells fantastic, great for making relaxation teas AND keeps slugs out of the garden. Excellent news as I am not a slug fan at all.
8. Marigolds – These are traditional flowers that my mom always planted among our vegetable plants in the gardens we had as kids. Bugs cannot stand the smell of marigolds, so plant them liberally around your garden. French and African varieties also keep nematodes out of the soil.
9. Mint – Another great herb that no kitchen garden should be without anyway. But did you know that mint plants repel aphids, cabbage moths, and cabbage worms? I sure didn’t!
10. Nasturtium – A plant I’ve read about in magazines but didn’t realize is quite prevalent. This pretty little flowering plants keeps away aphids and whiteflies. Be sure to plant these around fruit trees, cucumbers and squash.
11. Onion – If you love to cook, you love the onion. We have lots of wild onions in our neck of the woods. Onions keep ants at bay. Which is good because we also have lots of those!
12. Oregano – Growing up half Italian, I believe I have oregano streaming through my blood. Either way, its great in tomato sauce and italian dressing, and oregano plants keep away cucumber beetles.
13. Pennyroyal - In the mint family, pennyroyal leaves have a strong spearmint smell. Ants don’t like it, so I definitely do!
14. Petunia – I knew a little girl named Petunia once…but I digress. Pretty flowers and the added benefit of repelling aphids, leafhoppers, and Mexican bean beetles.
15. Radish – A great entry for salad ingredients, the radish is smartly planted around cucumbers and squash to keep away beetles.
16. Rosemary – I love rosemary bread and so always have fresh rosemary around. Plant this in your garden to ward off the cabbage moth, bean beetle and carrot fly.
17. Rue - As in “you’ll rue the day” I guess, because this medicinal herb smells terrible! But it does keep away Japanese beetles (and gardeners…yuck!). ***GOOD TO KNOW: don’t plant rue anywhere near your basil – they don’t play well, and so neither plant will grow.
18. Tansy - Another pretty little flower, Tansy is disagreeable to ants.
19. Thyme – One of the herbs we can’t do without, Thyme plants deter cabbage worms and slugs.
20. Tomato – Yep, you’ve probably got these in your garden already. And if you also have asparagus, plant them together. The tomato plants will ward off asparagus beetles.

If any of this information surprises you, you’re not alone. We’ve always had gardens and while we knew about some of these helpful plants, we were surprised by a great many too.

If you have any great garden tips, please send them to us using our handy contact form or by leaving a comment on this post. We’d love to hear from you!

Regardless of where you purchased your trees, from on line / internet garden sites and plant stores or at a local nursery, your baby plants should be potted up in their new homes as soon as possible.

Some basics to know prior to planting your dwarf citrus trees:

Temperature: Citrus plants thrive in temperatures between 55 and 65 degrees

Placement: Citrus light and need sun, but not too much. Outside they prefer southern or western exposure; inside you should place them near a sunny window or under “grow lights“.

Soil: Citrus trees and plants need an acidic soil. Some signs that your soil is off include leaves turning yellow, indicating that the soil needs more acid.

Maintain the acidity of the soil by dissolving 1/2 teaspoon of magnesium sulfate (aka: epsom salt) into 1 quart water. Use this formula once every 2-3 months. Also, every 3 months, feed your citrus trees with an acidic fertilizer.

Watering: Citrus trees like water so keep the soil moist, but not saturated. Test the wetness of the soil by poking down into it with your finger about 3 inches. If the soil is dry tothat depth, water the tree.

Pot Size: Matters! To save on excessive re-potting, start even small plants in a 10-15 gallon pot, this will accomodate a tree for growth up to 8 feet or so. Don’t go much bigger than that or your “dwarf” tree might grow larger than intended. Since citrus trees have shallow root systems, a wider pot will always be better than a deeper pot. Make sure the pot has good drainage.

Planting: Start by layering stones on the bottom of the pot – this will greatly aid drainage. Then use potting soil mixed with perlite*, being sure to cover only up to the top of the root ball, then finish with peat moss.

Re-Potting: Should be done every 3 years or so.

*Perlite: A light and porous substance that helps root development by allowing for better drainage. Natural volcanic rock that is heat expanded to increase soil porosity. Perlite provides aeration and drainage retaining and holding substantial amounts of water and later release it as needed, it is sterile and free from diseases. Encourages strong root development. Has a neutral pH

*Peat Moss. : An additive to improve soil texture. Increases water-holding capacity. Provides natural organic matter to help improve all soils. A soil conditioner used to loosen soil, add organic matter, and improve moisture retention. Enhances a soil’s ability to store and release nutrients. Can be mixed into potting soil to help reduce the impact of over watering.

My next post will talk more about growing citrus, especially dwarf citrus, trees on your patio in pots. We’ll cover ongoing care and pruning.

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Even though I live in a condo, I’m an avid gardener. I have my little front garden and my little back garden. This year I am concentrating on the back garden and patio.

I’ve always love the idea of planting trees. So I set out to find what sort of trees would make sense for my limited space. The answer: citrus trees. That idea really took root, so to speak. Citrus trees grow easily in containers, and while they do need to be taken indoors for the winter months, they emit the sweetest smells and add tender landscaping to your living areas.My next goal was to find out just what type of trees I wanted and of course, who had the best deal. I may be a gardener, but I’m also a bargain hunter. Plus I wanted quality plantings. I’ve had some bad experiences before, so I needed to do some citrus tree due diligence.Here’s some of the information I found about types of trees, quality of bulbs and plants, and naturally, guarantees:

Gurney’s Seed and Nursery offers a “dwarf citrus collection” which consists of 3 trees: lime, lemon and orange. The cost is about $40, which isn’t too bad as you can often also get discounts for spending at least $40 or other internet special incentives. Here’s the guarantee offered by Gurney’s – “We want you to be satisfied. If you’re not happy with one of our products, we’ll replace it, give you a credit or refund your money for the full amount of your purchase price. All nursery stock, trees and plants are guaranteed for as long as you garden. All seeds and merchandise are guaranteed for one full year.”

Henry Fields Seed and Nursery has a bunch of really exotic dwarf fruit trees. While I was sort of stuck on sticking with citrus, I’m already thinking about what I can add to my collection for next season: dwarf fig, dwarf pomegranate, dwarf banana, guava pineapple and even a coffee plant! I do love coffee… And, Henry Field’s Guarantee:“Henry Field wrote the guarantee we still honor today: “Your money’s worth or your money back.” If not completely satisfied, you will get new merchandise, a credit or a refund for the full purchase price–whichever you prefer. We honor this guarantee on plants and nursery stock for as long as you garden. Seeds and merchandise are guaranteed for one year.”

Spring Hill Nursey also had a citrus tree trio, which included dwarf Meyer Lemon, dwarf Navel Orange, and a dwarf Lime. Each costs about $19.99, but again with internet specials, first-time buyer specials and other incentives, you could probably get that price down. Spring Hill’s Lifetime Guarantee: “No-Risk Gardening for You – We guarantee all of our plants to be true to name and to reach you in perfect and healthy condition. If, for any reason, you aren’t pleased with any plant upon receipt, after planting or once it grows, just contact Spring Hill anytime–no time limit–for as long as you garden. No need to return any plant. We will refund every cent you paid for that plant or send a replacement without charge–whichever you prefer.”

Overall, I’ve got to say the choice was a hard one. But I knew I wanted and I just made a choice. Honestly, I could have gone with any of the above suppliers and gotten a great deal on the trees, a iron-clad guarantee, and beautiful plantings. I’ll keep everyone posted as to how my patio citrus trees progress. I know I won’t have fruit for a couple of years, but that’s ok because when my trees do bare fruit, I’ll know I raised them myself!

In my next post, I’ll talk about how to plant and cultivate patio citrus trees.