Marigolds

Sarah was a very enthusiastic homeowner. She was all but determined to have a self-sustaining home. She researched everything. Started with trees around the property she focused on fruit trees first and then she moved to nut trees. She was going to save some trips to get groceries. She went and all the vegetable seeds she could to start a garden. She felt like she was investing in her future. It would take a few years for her to start producing fruit so she focused on her vegetable garden. She spent hours weeding and pruning then one day she came out to find a lot of bugs everywhere.

She started to panic and thought that she had to do something to save her garden. She knew she did not want to go get a whole bunch of pesticides. There had to be another way. She spent hours upon hours doing research. She came up with a couple of options.

One: fencing to keep pests at bay, chicken wire, or garden fabric.

Two: diatomaceous earth.

Three: natural repellent plants:

Basil, a culinary herb that doubles as a repellent for houseflies and mosquitoes,

Bay leaf, repellent plant and a common ingredient in soups and stews, Chives, this plant deters Japanese beetles, carrot flies, aphids, mites, and even rabbits,

Chrysanthemums, they naturally contain a compound called pyrethrum that's common in many artificial insect repellents, chrysanthemums are an effective way to deter pesky insects like spider mites, silverfish, Japanese beetles, ants, bed bugs, roaches, and fleas,

Dill, Planting dill is to repel bugs like spider mites, squash bugs, and aphids from your vegetable garden but Dill is known to attract tomato hornworms,

Garlic, this plant is a bug repellent for carrot flies, cabbage worms, slugs, and aphids, Geraniums, deter many types of insects, including mosquitoes and leafhoppers,

Lemongrass, contains a fragrant citronella oil that acts as a mosquito repellent.

Lemon thyme, helps keep mosquitoes at bay and its tiny flowers also attract bees which help the pollination.

Marigolds, repel mosquitoes, aphids, and rabbits.

Mint, mosquito repellents.

Nasturtiums, instead of repelling pests, they attract them to their own leaves.

Parsley, popular culinary garnish, but it also serves as an effective repellent against asparagus beetles.

Petunias, rather than repelling these pests, petunias actually trap them in their sticky stamens, where the insects die instead of harming your plants.

Thyme, sometimes used for medicinal purposes, and its essential oils are a wonderful natural way to deter insects like cabbage loopers, whiteflies, tomato hornworms, and corn earworms.

After everything, she read she chose to use marigolds. They are a beautiful flower that keeps mosquitos away but also aphids and the occasional rabbit. She wondered if it would work on deer also since it kept away rabbits but she supposed she would find out one way or the other soon. Maybe she would eventually move up to an entire herb garden to go with her fruit and vegetable gardens but today she would think simply. She really doesn't have a whole lot of money right now. Slow and steady grandma always said she reminded herself. She also realized that everything takes time and you cannot climb a mountain without first taking one step at a time. She would get there one day but until then she is okay to wait. Would you be able to wait? Sarah has all the time she needs and will use it as wisely as possible. One day she will have her sanctuary and one day she will be free from all the worldly constraints that humans seem to want to place upon themselves. Will you be so lucky and free?