this post was submitted on 28 Apr 2026
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Outdoor veggie and fruit gardeners, how do you protect your crops against disease and from becoming a buffet for pests and wildlife? (lemmy.ml)
submitted 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) by yo_scottie_oh@lemmy.ml to c/gardening@lemmy.world
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I'm growing tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers for my first time not on a balcony, and I'm a tad concerned about caterpillars, squirrels, and other wildlife finding their way to my crops; that said, I would like to keep my space as earth friendly as possible, so chemical pesticides are out. I've read blog articles about trimming the lowest branches to prevent disease and planting trap crops such as nasturtiums and marigolds to lure pests away from the tomatoes. Do these techniques actually work? How do other gardeners handle this situation?

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[–] plantsmakemehappy@lemmy.zip 2 points 5 days ago

Some sort of fencing for things like rabbits.

I usually just look for signs of pests and then treat with something appropriate which could just be manual removal with a last resort of Captain Jack's deadbug brew.

I always grow marigolds but I'm not sure if they work or not. The pests I get tend to vary every year but they mostly go after my kale. Agree with someone else that disease is your main issue with tomatoes.