Homemade Bug Spray for Vegetable Plants

If you’re doing a garden this year, your crops might be producing some amazing vegetables already. If you haven’t tried a homemade bug spray for vegetable plants yet, it is something you have to put on your to-do list! Gardening is a fun and rewarding hobby, however it does come with its challenges. Pests are a big challenge in most gardens. As soon as your vegetables begin to produce, you notice bites taken out of your plants.

This home remedy to kill bugs in the garden is also effect on more plants than just vegetables, it is great when used on fruit trees, bushes, any plants indoor or outdoor.

DIY Vegetable Plant Bug Spray

Ingredients:

Instructions:

Mix all of the ingredients together and pour into a spray bottle, I use these.
Shake Vigorously until mixed. The neem oil might separate from the water slightly, just shake the bug spray before using to help with the separation.
Spray your homemade bug spray for vegetable plants in your garden every few days, or as needed. It is best if this is used early in the morning or late in the evening to avoid spraying pollinators such as bees.

So now, you’re probably wondering..

What can I spray on my vegetable plants to keep bugs off?

This homemade bug spray for vegetable plants is the perfect solution to keep bugs off your plants. The combination of neem oil, a very powerful natural pesticide for vegetable plants, and essential oils creates an effective and non-toxic vegetable bug spray.

Neem oil is great at keeping away the bad bugs, like those tomato hornworms that will eat all of your tomatoes if you don’t catch them early. Naturally containing many antibacterial and fungicidal properties, neem oil is effective at getting rid of the pests in your garden.

Although neem oil is effective at getting rid of the bad pests in your vegetable garden, it is suggested to only spray it early in the morning or late in the evening in order to avoid disturbing the beneficial pollinators like bees. If you see any moths, bees, or ladybugs it is best to wait on spraying your plants until they are gone for the day.

I use this pure organic neem oil in my homemade bug spray for vegetable plants.

Essential Oils for Gardening

Essential oils are a great addition to a homemade bug spray for vegetable plants. There are many effective oils to keep bugs away. If you’re looking for essential oils to repel bugs from your home and your body, check out these recipes

Those same essential oils used in most bug repellent recipes are just as effective when used in the vegetable garden.

The most common pests in the garden are aphids. This homemade bug spray for vegetable plants won’t necessarily kill the aphids, but it will repel them. Aphids do not like peppermint, making peppermint essential oil a necessity in any homemade aphid spray recipe.

Eucalyptus essential oil is another necessity when making a bug spray for vegetable plants. The difference when it comes to peppermint essential oil for aphids in the garden and eucalyptus essential oil is that eucalyptus will actually kill the aphids. As mentioned above, peppermint essential oil will only repel the aphids, which is still effective. However, for the aphids that are not repelled by the peppermint, eucalyptus essential oil will take care of them quickly.

Castile Soap as an Insecticide

Castile soap is great for killing soft-bodied pests like mealybugs. Castile soap is only effective when sprayed directly on the inspect that is invading your garden. Therefore, when you see a pest on your plants it is important to spray them immediately with homemade bug spray. This will kill the pests that are currently present on your plants, and combined with the essential oils it will also repel the pests from coming back.

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How to Make the Best Homemade Bug Spray for Vegetable Plants

Ingredients:

2 Cups of Water
1 Cup of Neem Oil
1/4 Cup Castile Soap
20 Drops Peppermint Essential Oil
20 Drops Eucalyptus Essential Oil

Instructions:

Mix all of the ingredients together and pour into a spray bottle, I use these.
Shake Vigorously until mixed. The neem oil might separate from the water slightly, just shake the bug spray before using to help with the separation.

Notes:

I use this bug spray a few times a week if I notice more evidence of pests in my garden. Due to watering your plants and the rain, it is only natural that the bug spray will wear off after a while so being consistent with spraying your plants is important.

Neem oil is natural and safe, it is important to get pure neem oil. You might see neem oil sprays advertised at your local gardening shop but most of these are filled with other chemicals, making it something you don’t want to spray on your plants then consume.