Keep Bugs Out Of Your Vegetable Garden With The Help Of A Bathroom Staple

Pests can be a major issue for gardeners and arborists alike. Beetles, slugs, worms, and moths can ravage fruit before it's even ripe. Squirrels will ravage fruit trees and rabbits nibble away at your vegetables. While there are no foolproof measures you can take to get rid of pests completely, you can reduce their impact by taking precautions. Sometimes the answer is in your kitchen or bathroom, like banishing aphids from your garden using soap and water. But there's one item in your shower you may have overlooked: A plastic bath loofah or shower pouf. One that is no longer doing its job keeping skin soft can be dismantled and used to cover fruits, vegetables, buds, deterring hungry bugs and birds.

If you want to protect fruits and vegetables, you can guard them individually or as a group on a branch (depending on size) using shower mesh poufs. If you don't have any you can pick them up cheap at the dollar store, or order a larger batch online. You'll also need a pair of scissors and some string. 

Before you start, it's important to remember that this method has plenty of limitations. For instance, aphids are small enough that they crawl through the mesh pouf barrier no problem. Many harmful pests do their damage by burrowing into the leaves and stalks, which are harder to cover. You might try to prevent them from ever visiting in the first place by using plants that naturally repel pests from your garden.

You'll probably want to use several poufs, assuming you want more than a few fresh apples or pears. Poufs are pretty affordable, so you can use plenty of them without breaking the bank. All you need to do is cut the pouf liner free and wrap it around the fruit or vegetable while it remains on the branch. They are longer than they look when all bunched up, so stretch it as far over the plant as you can, then tie off the open end with string or plastic zip ties. Avoid using dirty or soapy loofahs as that can impact your plant or spread germs and mildew. If you're using poufs from your shower, consider laundering them, or soaking them in a diluted bleach solution for an hour or two before cutting up.

This should offer a pretty strong defense against bugs, many birds, and squirrels. Unfortunately, this is not a very practical option at a larger scale. It's not really reasonable to cover dozens of figs or peaches with a bunch of poufs. Instead, go bigger, using wire tomato plant frames and repurposed mesh laundry bags to protect larger plants. Or if you have a serious garden, then row covers or polytunnels are crucial steps you shouldn't overlook when protecting your vegetables. You can also help your garden by planting companion plants with distinctive aromas, like planting garlic to keep pests away while adding flavor to your dishes.