425 - 5 Summer Pests and Organic Ways to Stop Them
The Beginner's Garden with Jill McSheehy
Jill McSheehy
4.4 • 734 Ratings
🗓️ 10 June 2025
⏱️ 45 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
By mid-June, your garden is thriving—but pests are waking up too. Some are just a nuisance, while others can wreak serious havoc. In today’s episode, we’re talking about 5 common summer pests, how to spot them early, and what you can do to manage them using organic methods.
You’ll learn:
🪰 How to deal with aphids without wrecking your beneficial insect population
🐞 The best time and way to stop squash bugs before they ruin your harvest
🐛 Why tomato hornworms show up when they do—and what to do about them
🛡️ How to deter stink bugs before they damage your tomatoes and peppers
🐞 And how to manage cucumber beetles & protect against bacterial wilt
Whether you're dealing with a few chewed leaves or a full-on infestation, this episode will give you clear, effective strategies to protect your garden—without reaching for harsh chemicals.
🌿 Want to go deeper?
Join me for the Summer Gardening Workshop on June 17 at 7 PM Central, where we’ll dive into pest prevention, plant health, and what to do when things go wrong. Your $19 ticket includes a replay + bonus preserving workshop! Use code SUMMER25 to save.
👉 journeywithjill.net/summerworkshop
Show Notes:
Thank you to our sponsors: Organic REV
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Promo Code: Use promo code JILL10 for 10% off your order
Want to learn more about Organic REV? Enroll in my FREE course that teaches you how to use REV in seed starting, transplanting and so much more! Click here to enroll.
My Products:
2025 Complete Garden Planner (plus several new editions!)
https://shop.journeywithjill.net/
Vegetable Gardening for Beginners Book: https://amzn.to/3TZeJux
Products I recommend:
Recommended Brands & Products page:
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https://www.amazon.com/shop/thebeginnersgarden
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Link to Beginner's Garden Podcast past episodes: https://journeywithjill.net/the-beginners-garden-podcast/
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey there and welcome back to the podcast. By mid-June, your garden is in full swing, but this also |
| 0:07.0 | means it's about the time where pests start showing up. Some are subtle and probably won't cause |
| 0:13.8 | too many issues, but many can be especially destructive. Today we're going to cover five common pests that often show up in the summer |
| 0:22.8 | that many gardeners have to deal with. We're going to talk about what signs to look for and then what |
| 0:29.2 | you can do to prevent and manage them organically. Now as you know, there are way more than five pests in the garden, but these are the ones that I feel like most gardeners deal with, and they also are a little bit different from one another. |
| 0:45.6 | For example, we're going to talk about the tomato hornworm, but many of the methods that you can use against the hornworm can also be used against the army worm. |
| 0:54.9 | So we're going to talk about different types of pests. So hopefully, even if you're dealing |
| 0:59.2 | with one that is different than what we're talking about today, some of the same measures can |
| 1:03.7 | be used with similar pests that might be in your garden. I hope you're not having a major problem |
| 1:09.4 | with pests so far, but if you are, I hope this |
| 1:12.0 | episode comes as a timely reminder for you of what you can do to keep your garden productive, |
| 1:18.5 | even when the pests arrive. Before we dive in, I want to invite you to my summer gardening workshop |
| 1:25.1 | happening on June 17th at 7 p.m. Central Time. If you want to keep your |
| 1:30.6 | garden thriving through the heat, if you want to prevent pests and disease, or deal with them |
| 1:35.8 | organically before they become a major issue in your garden, and also if you want to know exactly |
| 1:41.6 | what to do when things go wrong, this workshop is for you. |
| 1:46.4 | We're going to talk about all the things that you need to know to try to prevent problems before they start |
| 1:51.7 | and then manage them once they show up. And with your ticket to the live workshop, which will include |
| 1:57.8 | access to the replay if you've got a busy summer and you can't make it that day. |
| 2:02.2 | You will also get access to a bonus preserving workshop, which will be helpful if you're looking to preserve any of that harvest that you're hoping to protect. |
| 2:11.7 | You can get all of this for only $19 with the code summer 25. |
| 2:16.7 | Whether you come live and you're able to participate in the live Q&A at the end, |
... |
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