The result will be a lovely lunch for the pests and the need for you to spray. Feed your soil with a wholefood diet of garden compost and leafmould rather than using the fast-food artificial fertilisers that are designed to feed only the plant. Feeding the soil rather than the plant will mean stronger growth and better resistance to pests and diseases. Research has already proved this to be true. Looking after the soil is the cornerstone of organic gardening.
Healthy plants depend on it.
For organic gardeners there is also another very important tool in preventing pests and diseases, this is choosing varieties that have been bred for their pest and disease resistance. For example, blight resistant potatoes such as Remarka and root aphid resistant lettuces such as Avon Resister. Focusing for a moment on your vegetable garden there is one essential pest and disease control that you must practice, crop rotation. This involves dividing your vegetables into at least four groups that stay together each year but move onto the next part of the rotation every spring. The vegetables are grouped by family as well as similar feeding habits.