Managing garden pests with an integrated approach

There is nothing more frustrating than watching helplessly as a vegetable crop is destroyed by a pest or disease. One year, 80% of my tomato crop was wiped out by bacterial wilt disease. What is a home gardener to do about managing pests and disease? I have come to learn that prevention and developing healthy plants is the best approach. Instead of treating the symptoms that we see in plants, we need to understand what is causing these symptoms. If we understand the environmental cause, then we correct the problem as opposed to treating the symptom, thus managing pests in the garden.

There is a worldwide standard for managing garden pests (including disease) called Integrated Pest Management (IPM). I like the framework because it guides you through a thoughtful process to understand the underlying cause. Whether you are an organic gardener or not, I believe there is something that each of us can learn from this approach.

 Before I describe the approach, I want you to think about yourself. If you are under stress, your natural immune system can be weakened. When your immune system is weakened, disease and sickness can develop. The same is true of plants, when plants are stressed (too much/too little water, sun, nutrients) they become much more susceptible to pests and disease. By taking an integrated approach to understanding the stress your plant is experiencing, there is a higher probability that you will be better equipped to managing pests in your garden.