Using bugs to fight bugs in Steve’s Garden

Whether you're growing flowers, herbs, or vegetables in your outdoor garden, keeping destructive pests away is a constant challenge. But gardeners have a natural ally on their side: beneficial insects.

Tiny helpers like ladybugs can become your garden's best friend, feeding on aphids and other harmful pests and helping protect your plants without the need for chemicals.

Gardening experts say ladybugs love to feast on the insects that love to feed on your plants.

Some common pests are aphids and spider mites, who can do quite a bit of damage to your plants and veggies.

Another thing you can do is to plant marigolds in your garden, which are known to attract some of the bugs away from your vegetables.

Some people have been known to plant basil, which acts as a host plant for bugs. The bugs feed on that, and not your other plants. But it's the ladybugs that are likely to bring your garden lots of luck.

"They do a very good job," said Mike Spencer with Spencer's Produce Lawn and Garden Centers. "You water the plant that may have aphids on it early in the evening, and then you let the ladybugs go below the plant, and they will go up there and do a really good job of cleaning up the Aphids or Spider Mites," said Spencer. "Once the food source is gone, they'll fly away to the next food source," added Spencer.

Be sure to follow along as Steve’s garden continues to grow this summer — and send KRDO13 photos of your own gardens in southern Colorado!

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