How A Bar Of Soap Does Wonders For Protecting Tomato Plants

Growing your own variety of tomatoes takes patience, care, and plenty of watchful monitoring to make sure any unwanted garden critters don't damage your harvest. Indeed, it can be truly disheartening to come across a decimated vegetable patch after you've lovingly nurtured your tomatoes for several months. One way to protect your tomato plants in the future is to use a bar of Irish Spring soap as a bug deterrent.

The presence of insects like aphids, spider mites, and whiteflies can be a disaster for your tomato crop because they can weaken the plant and cause unsightly blemishes. This damage can attract fungus and bacteria, too, which can cause the fruits to rot as well as stunt growth, hamper the overall yield, and even spread disease. Irish Spring soap contains an ingredient called picaridin, which repels these pests and thereby reduces their potential impact. The fragrance of Irish Spring also deters animals with sensitive noses that might be rooting around your crop. This scent comes from oil of lemon eucalyptus, which gives off a citrusy smell that prevents pests from approaching.

There are a few ways to use Irish Spring soap in your garden to protect your tomato crop. For instance, you can simply place an entire bar on the soil so it sits in close proximity to your plants. However, if you're worried about moisture from the rain making it soft and squidgy, try hanging it on a nearby fence with a piece of string.

One of the best ways to employ Irish Spring soap in your garden is to shave a few pieces over the ground using a grater. This technique releases the scent of the soap more effectively and guarantees there's a thin layer all over the soil. Alternatively, you can melt the soap down over a double boiler and mix it with some vinegar before spraying it over the soil to kill any weeds that are hampering the growth of your tomatoes.

Another old-school soap spray that keeps bugs away in the garden is castile soap solution. A mixture of castile soap (that's made with natural oils like coconut and olive oil) and water, this eco-friendly spray is free from the chemicals present in other insecticidal sprays. That said, if you spray it in and around your crop, be sure to give your tomatoes a thorough wash in plenty of fresh water to remove any residues on the surface.

One of Martha Stewart's best gardening tips is to avoid spending too much time on plants and vegetables that aren't thriving. So, if you find that your tomatoes aren't growing well, no matter what you do, consider selecting different fruits or veggies that would grow more successfully under the same conditions. You should also avoid planting your tomatoes too early. If the season is unusually cold, start them indoors or in a greenhouse to give them a kickstart.