Are insects infesting your garden and pests plaguing your plants? This is the time of year for hungry slugs, so protect your pots and plants with our simple, natural method. Follow our guide on how to make a homemade natural pesticide. This is the easiest way to keep those pesky insects at bay and your garden blooming.

For more of The Field’s tip top gardening advice, see our Gardens section, including even more natural ways to prevent pests. Magpies can be tricky to deter but not impossible, so follow our tips on how to deter magpies. And while summer evenings are perfect for bagging bunnies, one can’t patrol day and night. So follow our alternative suggestions on how to keep rabbits out of your garden. And if weeds are proving problematic rather than pests, read how to stop weeds growing on a patio and how to stop weeds growing in borders.

HOW TO MAKE A HOMEMADE NATURAL PESTICIDE

We seem to have more than our fair share of garden insects. I remember reading about a homemade insect spray and a method for stopping slugs climbing all over our pot plants. Would you be able to remind me of these methods of insect control?
GH, Oxfordshire

For a homemade insect spray that’s worth a try, grate a 25g piece of hard household soap and place it in a saucepan with 600ml of water. Bring to the boil and simmer until all the soap has dissolved. Immediately add this to 1.2 litres of paraffin oil and whisk until an emulsion is formed. Dilute roughly 1 part emulsion to 9 parts water, if required it can be made stronger.

This is the time of the year for hungry slugs, so to help prevent them from damaging your pot plants, smear petroleum jelly around the rim of the pot. Done regularly, it keeps them at bay.