The whole point of us making the effort to grow our own veggies is to avoid all of the toxic sprays that commercial farmers use, right? The problem is, caterpillars (and their mates!) love our fresh produce almost as much as we do. As well as checking leaves (the underside mainly), and catching the little buggers, you may find this Natural Homemade Pest Repellent useful. It will need a fair bit of attention from you, with reapplication after rain and watering, but it definitely makes a difference!
Natural Homemade Pest Repellent
Makes: 500 ml Prep time: < 5 min.
Ingredients
- 6-8 whole small hot whole chillies
- 1 whole head of garlic
- 1/2 cup | 125 ml water (see recipe notes)
- 80 drops of essential oils
- 1 tsp liquid castile soap
- 1 ½ cups | 375 ml water – additional (see recipe notes)
![](https://krissyballinger.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/recipe-image-chilli-spray-800x800.png)
My Choice of Essential Oils
My suggested essential oils for this recipe are lavender, patchouli, lemongrass and eucalyptus. Read here for more information on essential oils.
Extra Equipment Required
Muslin cloth or nut milk bag
Method
1. Using a blender or food processor, blend chillies and garlic until finely minced.
2. Scrape down sides, add ½ cup | 125 millilitres water and blend again for 1 minute.
3. Pour mixture into a muslin cloth or nut milk bag and, using gloves, squeeze liquid into a bowl. Discard pulp.
4. Add remaining ingredients to bowl with chilli-and-garlic liquid, and mix until combined.
5. Transfer into a bottle (with trigger spray atomiser).