We recently received a question about what “organic pesticides” we apply to our crops. Certain microbial, botanical, or mineral substances are approved for pest control in organic agriculture and we occasionally use one to address a specific situation on the farm. However, we rarely use even these organic pest control products. We manage our farmland with the intent to create a balanced system with natural pest and disease control provided by natural predators, crop rotation, and the ability of healthy plants to withstand some pest pressure.
We rely heavily on insectary plantings. Our home farm is almost completely surrounded by native, insectary hedgerows that we have planted over the years. These provide habitat for lacewings, ladybugs, syrphid flies, spiders, damselflies, and myriad tiny parasitic wasps that all feed on pest species. We also use annual insectary plants, like alyssum (shown growing in our greenhouse in the picture above), that we interplant with our vegetable crops. On strawberries we release predatory mites (persimilus) on a regular basis to combat two spotted mites. We use barrier fabrics (floating row covers) to exclude flea and cucumber beetles on cruciferous greens and squash as well as to keep cabbage maggots away from susceptible root crops like turnips and radishes. Before planting carrots we incorporate mustard seed meal in the soil to combat nematodes.
Crop rotation is critical for managing soil borne diseases. Our strawberries are on a five-year rotation and most of the vegetable crops are rotated between crop families on an annual basis. Pests and soil-borne diseases tend to favor particular crops, so rotating crops breaks the cycle and can keep outbreaks from occurring.
Unfortunately, we live in an area with lots of other farms and, despite our best efforts, pests like cabbage aphids don’t respect boundaries. When we spray, we do so as a last resort, and we use the safest materials available. We avoid broad spectrum organic insecticides, like spinosad or neem, because of their risk to beneficial insects. Last year the only applications we did were sulfur for powdery mildew on a late block of squash and cucumbers, and M-Pede (Safer’s Soap) on broccoli and cauliflower early in the year for cabbage aphids. Our strawberries, blueberries, and the rest of our vegetable crops received no application of any pest control substance.
Farming is never straightforward or easy and pest pressures change from year to year. We do what we can to maintain a balanced and healthy organic system that can withstand most of these challenges. We appreciate your support for farming the way we do.
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