Whenever I have to make Chilli Jam or Chilli Sauce I need to remove the seeds from our home grown chillis because they are far too hot to use with the seeds in. Trying to have an organic vegetable garden I need some way to use all the chilli seeds and at the same time kill caterpillars, white flies and any thing else that is where it shouldn’t be, ie eating my vegetables.

Chilli Insecticide Spray

  1. Grind all of chilli seeds in the blender, with any old garlic bulbs that are hanging around.
  2. Add enough water to make it quite liquid.
  3. Add extra water and the ground seed mix to a saucepan and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
  4. Take off the heat and add the water that has been used to clean the blender, with added dish-washing detergent (so that the mixture sticks to the pests and the leaves) to the pan and leave to cool and infuse.
  5. Filter the mix through a cheese cloth or as I do through a triple layer of triangular bandage (left overs from countless first aid courses) and keep the liquid.

How to use:

Use as a spray for most insects including caterpillars, aphids, flies, ants and mealy bugs. Apply once a week or more often if it rains.

If the mix is running off the plant add a bit more dish-washing detergent.

If it is too strong the chilli mix can burn the leaves so test the strength on a small part of the plant first.

Fruit Fly Bait

  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 litre water
  • 1 tsp Vegemite
  • 1 drop of fruit fly poison

Put into bottles with small holes cut into the sides or soft drink bottles with tops cut off and inverted and hung from trees. Need quite a few around the area – I tend to put them a bit away from the trees.

Milk Spray for Powdery Mildew on zucchini, grape vines and cucumbers

Mix up equal parts milk and water in a spray bottle. Spray all parts and both sides of the zucchini and cucumber plants early in the season to prevent powdery mildew.

Mildew and black spot on roses and tomatoes

To 1 litre of water add 2 tsp carb soda, 2 tsp pest oil, (or 1 tsp vegetable oil  and 1 tsp of detergent to help it stick to the leaves). Apply early in the season to prevent mildew and black spot.

White Oil for Scale, aphids, leaf miners and white fly

Mix 2 cups of vegetable oil  with ½ cup of dishwashing detergent into a jar. Shake to mix well. Put 2 tbs of the mix into a spray bottle and top up with water.

Organic Herbicide

To one litre of vinegar add a cup of salt and stir to dissolve. Brush it onto weeds. Perfect for the weeds in the paths in the vegetable garden.

Algae in paths and paintwork

1 part vinegar to 3 parts water. Spray on to algae.