Top 5 Best Insecticides For Vegetable Gardens 2024
Best Insecticide For Vegetable Gardens
Choosing the best insecticide for vegetable gardens can be a massive minefield and there is an absolute wealth of choice to confuse you. So here are our top picks for the best insect killer for vegetable gardens to help you out;
Best Overall
Plantonix Organic Neem Bliss
Best For Ease Of Use
Garden Safe Insecticidal Soap
Your vegetable garden is your pride and joy, a place you have spent so much time and expended so much effort so the last thing you want is to surrender your hard earned crops to pests. However, another thing you you definitely don’t want to do is to go using some nasty chemical that’s going to leach into your soil and plants and render them unsafe to eat. After all, one of the great things with growing your own food is that you know exactly what has gone into the process and how safe it all is.
So to determine the best insect killer for vegetable gardens you not only have to consider how effective it is at killing insects but also how safe it is for you and the environment around you.
Choosing A Safe Insecticide For Vegetables And Fruits
First of all, if your plants are not suffering from some form of infestation then do not use an insecticide as it is completely unnecessary and the practice of regular preventative spraying has been shown to actually cause problems.
If you have to go down the insecticide road then you absolutely want a safe insecticide for vegetables, fruit or herbs as you want to be able to enjoy the fruits of your labour.
So you have to realise that the best garden insecticide and the best insecticide for vegetable gardens are two completely different things and it’s important you choose the right one
It needs to deal with the problem that you have but, it should be as safe for your family and pets as possible whilst additionally it shouldn’t harm pollinators and ideally should be harmless to other friendly insects such as ladybugs / ladybirds. These insects are essential to the healthy functioning of your garden and only do good for your plants so it’s only good sense to try and protect them.
Our Top 5 Best Insecticides For Vegetable Gardens
Organic Neem Bliss Oil
This is another botanical insecticide and the active ingredient in this one is Neem Oil which is extracted from the fruits and seeds of the Neem Tree.
Neem oil is effective on a broad range of insects but is safe for ladybugs / ladybirds, parasitic wasps and bees.
This has the added benefit of working as a fungicide also.
This particular brand is pure neem oil but it is important to be careful with individual, pre-mixed neem products as some of them contain additional ingredients which are toxic to bees.
Monterey Horticultural Oil
The active ingredient in Monterey’s Horticultural Oil is actually a mineral oil and it works as an insecticide by suffocation of insects and their eggs.
This particular product is very useful as it not only acts as an insecticide but can also be used as a fungicide and miticide.
This oil leaves no toxic residue and is bee and beneficial insect safe as long as you don’t spray it directly on to them or where they are feeding at that time.
This is available in ready to spray bottles or can be bought in a form that then needs to be diluted at home so is ideal for using in garden sprayer attached to your hose.
Garden Safe Insecticidal Soap
Now, the active ingredient in this one is a little bit of a mouthful – Potassium Salts of Fatty Acids!
This works as a contact insecticide so needs to be sprayed directly onto your problem insects in order to work effectively.
As this product does not leave any toxic residue on plants it is safe for pollinators and beneficial insects as long as it is not sprayed directly onto them and is allowed to dry.
Monterey Garden Insect Spray
The active ingredient in Monterey Garden Insect Spray is a substance called Spinosad which is made through a fermentation process from a soil bacterium.
This insecticide is highly effective on a broad range of problem insects, working on the nervous system to cause paralysis and then death.
It is safe to use with a number of beneficial insects including ladybugs / ladybirds and lacewings to name just a couple.
This is not bee safe so should be used in the evening and only on plants that are not in bloom or otherwise attracting bees.
Bonide Pyrethrin
The active ingredient in this Bonide botanical insecticide product is the organic compound Pyrethrin which is derived from African Chrysanthemum flowers. Being a natural substance it is environmentally friendly and decomposes rapidly.
This is a fast acting insecticide which works against the insects central nervous system.
This is not bee safe so should be used in the evening and only on plants that are not in bloom. However, it has slight repellent properties so will put pollinators off and due to it’s rapid, natural breakdown it is only an issue for a short period.
So they are our favourite picks when it comes to insecticides for use on vegetable gardens.
When you come to using any insecticide make sure you follow the instructions closely to avoid any risk of damaging your plants or causing any contamination to your soil.
Whether you choose one of our recommendations or you go another way just remember to be safe whilst using them. Regardless of whether they’re synthetic or natural, listed as toxic to humans or non-toxic, it’s incredibly important to take necessary precautions before coming into contact with the substance.
