My broccoli and cauliflower plants were getting hammered by some critter that skulks forward in the dead of night and goes to town on their leaves.  This happened last year to my Brussels sprouts, taking out one of four plants before I found an organic pest repellent.

There are a number of things you can do to minimize pest damage to your garden without spraying on pesticides that you’ll subsequently have to eat.  Marigolds, of course, are excellent to keeping damaging bug punks away.  Mint and lemongrass plants are as well.

But those guys are significantly suggestions.  Last year, to perform triage on the Brussels, I discovered Neem oil.

The Neem plant is indigenous to India and has a variety of Ayurvedic uses.  It will also keep everything from the Japanese beetle to the cabbage worm away from your crops.  The bottle I shown above cost me about fifteen bucks.  To use it, you mix half a tablespoon in a pint and a half of water in a spray bottle, add a little biodegradable dish soap (as an emulsifier), shake, and shoot.

It works like a charm, and it’s not harmful to mammals, birds, earthworms, lady bugs, etc.  Basically, any critter you want working your garden for you will be okay, you won’t be eating poisoned veggies, and you won’t be poisoning your soil.

The only downside to Neem oil is that you have to reapply it every few days and after rain or heavy watering.

But that’s better than trusting Monsanto when it tells you the poison you’re dumping on your food is safe to eat.  You don’t need Monsanto, and they’ll do just fine without you buying their Roundup.