A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation of flowers, fruits, vegetables, and other plants. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is control.
Organic farmers use a variety of methods to combat pests, including preventing them from entering crops through physical barriers or using natural enemies. They also rely on modern techniques, like drip irrigation.
The plastic bag method is popular among commercial growers, but backyard and patio gardeners can also benefit from this helpful hack. Killing pests as you see them is only so helpful since you can’t always be outside, even if you want to. Plastic ziplock bags can make that a little more possible. The bags create a physical barrier that pests can’t cross, stopping moths and other insects from laying eggs that turn into insatiable diners that will eat up your crops. You may have to deal with pests when the bags aren’t on the fruit, but you can combat them with pesticides or organic pest control methods while the bag is off.
Though it’s not a foolproof plan, it can greatly reduce the number of pests on your fruit. Jan Rhodes at The Backyard Gardener tested the bags and found that some of her apples had caterpillar problems, but it could have been due to how she tied them up. She also found that the covered apples took slightly longer to develop their color, but they still turned out as expected.
Source: housedigest.com
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