Squash bugs are common garden pests that overwinter in garden debris, like dead leaves and stems. When the warm weather rolls around, these bugs emerge and feed on new plant leaves, sucking out the sap and causing them to wilt, yellow, and eventually die.

As their name suggests, these bugs prefer squash—but they’ll eat other produce too, including pumpkins and melons. The good news? There are many ways to get rid of these pesky insects. Here, we share advice from a gardening expert and a pest control pro.

Clean Up Debris

You can prevent squash bugs before they even move in.

“[They] spend the winter in dead leaves, garden debris, or really anything left behind at the end of the season,” says Lindsey Chastain, gardener and founder of The Waddle and Cluck. “Clean this up before planting to reduce the number of bugs waiting to attack.”

However, there is a potential drawback to this method. “It’s good for the soil to leave some organic matter over the winter, so you may need to balance soil health with pest prevention,” she adds. One option is to leave some debris behind in non-squash beds, and only clear out the areas where you plan on planting squash.

Rotate Your Crops

Another way to keep squash bugs at bay is to plant your vegetables in a different spot every year. Crop rotation helps keep the soil healthy, Chastain says, but it also tricks any insects who are waiting for you to plant your produce in the same area as last year.

This method is effective because squash bugs tend to stay in the same spot. A good rule of thumb is to move your squash patch at least 15 to 20 feet from where you grew it last year.

Use Row Covers

You can also use row covers to keep squash bugs away. These work best when used early in the season.

“Once the plant flowers, remove [them], so pollinators can get in and do their work,” says Chastain. This method works because it provides a physical barrier, which stops pests from landing on the plants and laying eggs. However, you’ll need to stay on top of timing: “Leaving row covers on too long can block pollinators and reduce fruit production,” she adds.

Switch to Straw Mulch

You could also try switching to straw mulch so the pests don’t have a cozy place to hide. “Squash bugs love hiding in thick, moist mulch,” says Chastain. “Straw is less attractive to them.”

However, straw mulch does have a downside. It could mean more weeds—or cause the soil to dry out faster. Monitor it closely.

Try Companion Planting 

Marigolds and calendula are trap crops that can help keep squash bugs away. “I always plant marigolds with my vegetables because they’re great deterrents, but they also attract pollinators,” says Chastain.

These companion plants emit a scent that deters many garden pests, including squash bugs. However, it’s not a guaranteed solution and will work best when used in tandem with other methods.

Opt for Hand-Picking and Soapy Water

This method will kill squash bugs without using harsh chemicals. “Pick the adults off the plants by hand and drop them in soapy water,” says Nicole Carpenter, president of Black Pest Prevention.

While surveying your plants for squash bugs, make sure to check under the leaves every few days to scrape off any eggs. “There’s actually no store-bought pesticide that completely eliminates squash bugs because the adults are tough,” says Carpenter.

So while this method is labor-intensive, it does work, and you don’t need to worry about using harsh sprays in your garden.

We’re all shaped by family lore and old wives’ tales, whether we’re in our laundry rooms, kitchens, and yes, even our gardens. Often, this advice lasts generations because it’s so on point. Other times, it’s simply become a habit.

With this in mind, we decided to check in with a few garden pros to find out what gardening advice they learned from their own grandparents, and which tidbits have stood the test of time.

Feed the Soil, Not Just the Plant

Gardening pro Mary Phillips says her grandparents’ favorite mantra was feed the soil, not just the plant.

“They never just sprinkled chemical fertilizers,” she says. “Instead, they used generous amounts of compost, aged manure, and leaf mold to replenish the soil every spring and fall.”

For Phillips, this advice not only worked, it’s lasted into her adult life. 

“Feeding the soil is the secret to a thriving garden,” she says. “Healthy soil supports a diverse ecosystem, improves water retention, reduces the need for synthetic fertilizer, and ultimately leads to healthier plants.”

As a big proponent of wildlife-friendly gardens, Phillip says her compost bin is just as critical to her own approach to gardening as it was to her grandparents.

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Ward Off Pests with Human Hair

According to pro garden designer Linda Vater, her grandparents used to use hair from a hairbrush to ward off pests.

“The idea behind it is that adding a human scent to the garden will scare the pests away from your prized plants, reducing unwanted nibbling and protecting your garden bounty,” she says.

While another generation might have sworn by this method, Vater has her doubts—particularly because you apparently have to replace the hair frequently. 

“There are plenty of other solutions that have a proven track record of success,” she says. 

Instead, Vater is a big proponent for planting pest-resistant plants, such as ones that feature thorns and rough textures that are difficult or unpleasant to chew.

“You can even plant these pest-resistant plants as a border around more tempting flowers, fruits, vegetables, and herbs to deter garden snackers,” she says.

Never Leave the Soil Bare

As another tip from her grandparents, Phillips says she was taught never to let the soil be bare. 

“They were firm believers in mulching, often using straw, shredded leaves, or undyed wood chips around their plants,” she says. “If they didn’t have mulch, they’d plant groundcover.”

Now, as an adult, Phillips understands that this is a great way to support soil health and conserve water.

“Using native groundcovers and mulch suppresses weeds, reducing competition for resources,” says Phillips, who notes it also moderates soil temperature, prevents evaporation, and adds organic matter. “Bare soil erodes easily and dries out quickly.”

Bury Banana Peels Next to Rose Bushes

According to rose expert Wes Harvell, his grandparents taught him to bury banana peels at the base of his rose bushes. This, they said, should help them bloom bigger and brighter.

“While this can be true, [banana peels are] a targeted nutrient addition of potassium, only one of the nutrients needed for roses,” Harvell says. “Always start with a soil test to know what your soil needs before you amend it.”

However, when facing soil that does call for a potassium boost, Harvell admits he still uses a version of this same trick—just with a twist. Rather than solely burying whole banana peels, he chops or blends them and mixes them into his compost.

“It’s a simple, sustainable way to reuse waste and feed the soil naturally,” he says. “The peels can also be soaked in water for a few days to make a tea that can be used to water roses.”

But if you find banana peels aren’t doing anything for your garden, Harvell says it’s best to opt for a balanced rose fertilizer that includes both potassium and phosphorus.

Catch and Release Small Pests

According to gardening architect and author Pieter Croes, he has fond memories of his grandfather’s daily pest-removal process in his vegetable garden. 

“He told me that everyday before having his breakfast he would take a walk through the garden to catch the snails and remove them,” says Croes. “This became part of his morning routine—he would go to check on the vegetables but also see if the snails were causing trouble.”

For Croes, this instilled the idea that every aspect of gardening can be meditative and relaxing.

“It connects you to the garden and makes the maintenance less of a burden and more of a moment of stillness and joy.”

Always Remember Gardening Is About Joy

One thing we all often forget when it comes to tending to our homes and gardens is that this should all be about joy. Phillips says her grandfather, in particular, was a huge proponent of remembering this critical fact.

“He taught me the value of  coexisting with and supporting wildlife, and fostering a relationship with the natural world,” she says. “The garden is a living system, where everything is interconnected.”

Eggshells are a popular folk method for growing healthy, vigorous garden plants like tomatoes. But is there any proof to back up those benefits?

Here’s a look at whether eggshells are good for plants, plus tips for how and when to use them effectively.

Are Eggshells Good for Plants?

Eggshells can be beneficial in the garden because they contain calcium, a necessary micronutrient for plant health. Eggshells can add calcium to garden soil when added to a compost pile or vermicomposting bin, or when added directly to the planting hole.

However, eggshells will only be beneficial for plants if your soil is already deficient in calcium. The best way to know whether your soil is deficient in calcium is to conduct a soil test.

Eggshells must be processed properly before they’re used to make the calcium available for plants to take up with their roots. Simply crushing up the eggshells with your hands doesn’t make much of a difference.

Instead, eggshells must be ground into a fine powder with a coffee grinder or blender to make the calcium they contain available to your plants.

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How to Use Eggshells in the Garden

• Compost pile: Add finely ground eggshells to your compost pile to ensure adequate calcium.
• Worm bin: After grinding eggshells, add them to your vermicomposting system. Their added grit can assist with the worms’ digestion.
• Transplanting seedlings: If your soil has a calcium deficiency, try adding a handful of finely ground eggshell to the planting hole when transplanting seedlings like tomatoes and peppers.
• Soil drench: Another way to ensure that the calcium in eggshells is available to plants is to extract it in water. Boil 10 to 20 eggshells in water and allow the mixture to steep for several hours or overnight. Strain away the shells and apply two cups of the solution to the soil around your plants every two weeks.

What Plants Benefit Most From Eggshells

Popular garden plants, including tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, watermelons, and both summer and winter squashes, require adequate calcium in the soil to fruit properly.

Without sufficient calcium, these plants can experience an issue called blossom-end rot, which causes the lower ends of fruits to turn black and shrink as they develop.

However, adding calcium in the form of eggshells may not address blossom-end rot. That’s because this condition is often caused by water uptake issues. When garden plants can’t adequately transport the water in which calcium is dissolved, this essential nutrient may not be able to make it up to the fruit.

If a soil test indicates that your garden isn’t deficient in calcium but you still experience blossom-end rot, it’s likely that your plant isn’t getting enough water due to causes like inconsistent watering, not enough mulch to maintain soil moisture, or damage to roots.

Misconceptions About Using Eggshells in the Garden

• Adding crushed eggshells to compost or soil isn’t an effective way to use them in the garden. Shells must be ground into a fine powder in order to be absorbed by plant roots.
• Eggshells can only help your plants if your soil is deficient in calcium. Conduct a soil test before planting to know for sure.
• Eggshells aren’t an effective deterrent for garden pests.
• Cracked eggshells aren’t ideal for seed starting. The average chicken egg is too small to allow for sufficient growth, meaning you’d have to transplant seedlings into another container early and risk damaging them.

Garden experts almost always recommend adding an annual application of natural organic mulch to vegetable beds, but how exactly does mulch work and how do you use it to your advantage?

We spoke to Caleb Goossen, an organic crop and conservation specialist, for his top mulching tips and tricks for soil improvement, fewer weeds, and healthier plants.

Benefits of Mulching Your Vegetable Garden

When applied over garden beds, mulch acts like a natural insulator, shielding soil against the harsh wind, driving rain, and hot summer sun.

“This helps to keep the soil cooler, conserves moisture, and blocks weed growth,” Goossen says.

Today, gardeners can choose between inorganic mulches—like synthetic landscape fabric—or organic mulches like bark, wood chips, pine needles, and compost. But while both of these mulch types have their perks, Goossen favors organic mulches, which offer particular benefits to veggie beds.

“Mulch composed of a natural organic material will feed soil life as it breaks down,” Goossen says.

This is great news if you’re looking to build soil health over time; however, natural mulches don’t just contribute nutrients to garden beds. They also enhance soil structure, boost water retention, and increase the activity of beneficial microbes and earthworms.

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5 Types of Mulch to Add to Your Vegetable Garden

When choosing a mulch for your garden, there are many factors to consider: cost, availability, and whether or not the mulch is appropriate for the types of plants you’re keeping.

“Good mulches are typically easy to get your hands on and free of weed seeds or other contaminants,” Goossen says. “Ideally, they should also break down slowly to provide a long-lived mulch in relation to the lifespan of the crop in question.”

Goossen explains that straw, bark mulch, and hay are particularly common mulches in the Northeast. But gardeners in any region can find a number of effective natural mulches for vegetable gardens, including:

1. Compost. One of the absolute best mulches for food crops, compost is typically used as a soil amendment to boost soil fertility, but it can also be layered across soils as a mulch. Since compost naturally resembles soil, it blends right into landscapes, and it can even be made at home to reduce gardening costs.
2. Chopped autumn leaves. Autumn leaves are another potentially free garden mulch, although they should be chopped with a mulcher or leaf shredder before use. Chopping leaves keeps the mulch from matting and it helps the nutrients leaves contain become incorporated into the soil a little faster.
3. Pine needles. If you live in a region where pine needles are easy to find, this natural mulch can also be gathered for free. Pine needles don’t change soil pH significantly and can be used as a mulch on most plants, but they’re particularly popular for acid-loving crops like blueberries.
4. Wood chips or bark mulch. Wood or bark mulches are often used in ornamental beds, but they can also be applied to garden walkways and perennial vegetable gardens as long as you choose a natural, un-dyed mulch. Just remember to apply a nitrogen-rich fertilizer when using wood mulches as these products can tie up nitrogen in the soil.
5. Weed-free straw or hay. Goosen notes that straw and hay are more likely to contain weed seeds than other mulches, so be sure to purchase these mulches from reliable suppliers. Straw and hay mulch are typically used to mulch strawberries, but they’re handy for growing melons and hilling potatoes as well.

How Mulching Helps Keep Weeds Away

Empty soil is an open invitation for weed seeds, which is why the best way to prevent weedy problems is to keep soil covered at all times. Groundcovers, cover crops, and weed barrier fabrics can all be used to shelter soil from weeds, yet mulching is still one of the most popular and traditional ways to smother out existing weeds and keep new weed seeds from germinating.

Shallow layers of mulch are less effective at suppressing weeds than thick mulch coverings, but you don’t want to apply mulch too deep. Ideally, aim for about three inches of mulch over garden beds and keep mulches a few inches away from plant stems to prevent rot.

Applying a layer of new mulch once a year in spring or fall will replenish old mulch, keep beds looking tidy, and ensure weed seeds don’t creep in over time.

It’s a joy to watch your plants thrive, but that happiness can quickly turn to panic when you notice weeds in the garden. Weeds are generally unwanted plants that find their way into your soil and some can be invasive or harm your well-kept plants or lawn. The key to getting rid of these undesired invaders doesn’t have to be a harsh chemical herbicide.

It can be as simple as boiling water, but how does it work? We asked gardening experts about how this simple trick can be a good DIY weed killer—and how to use it safely with your plants.

How to Use Hot Water to Kill Weeds

Using boiling water to eliminate weeds is pretty simple.

1. Fill a tea kettle (with a non-metal handle) with some water.
2. Place it on the stove and heat to a boil, then bring it outside to your garden.
3. Pour it onto the leaves and have it soak down into the roots of the unwanted weeds.

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Why Boiling Water Works to Kill Weeds

The boiling water will put the plant into thermal shock. The rapid temperature change damages the weed’s cells and it causes the plant to dry out quickly.

“That’s why you will see the wilting and then eventually the plant dying,” says Alex Watson, a gardener and the founder of The Garden Guys. “It does do the job if you’re trying to move away from using harsh chemicals.”

Watson suggests using this method during cool weather to enhance the effect of the temperature change on the weed.

Both experts recommend that this method be mostly used with weeds in pesky areas, like sidewalks, driveways, and pathways.

“We find that it’s quite effective on hard surfaces and tight cracks, because the roots are usually quite shallow,” Watson says.

For pesky weeds, the experts advise that the hot water method may need to be used several times before seeing results.

Why Boiling Water Might Not Work on Some Weeds

The hot temperature might be enough to kill certain types of weeds, especially annual plants with roots that are near the top of the soil and not deep into the ground.

Annual weeds, like chickweed, complete their entire growth cycle in a single growing season, but perennials, like dandelions, can continue growing for over two years. Because of this, perennials have deeper roots, like a dandelion’s long taproot.

“If somebody wants to use boiling water, they just have to be careful and make sure that they get it to the plant when it’s really hot,” says Anna Hackman, a farmer and managing member at The Naked Botanical. “But for any perennial like a dandelion, it’s not going to kill it, because it’s just going to kill the top part of it.”

“Anything that has a tap root, which tends to be a perennial, or a perennial that has a lot of roots that go down into the soil, the hot water can’t get to it,” she continues. “By the time it gets down to that soil, the water is cool.”

What to Look Out for When Using Boiling Water to Kill Weeds

When using this method to kill weeds, you’ll need to make sure the weed isn’t directly next to one of your garden’s plants—the ones you planted and are meant to be there. That’s because the hot water isn’t selective when it kills plants and will scorch those around your target, too.

“I just worry, if you’re going into your vegetable garden and you’re killing a weed right by your vegetable, you’re going to kill a vegetable,” Hackman says.

She also notes that the approach shouldn’t be used “in lawns, not in raised beds or vegetable gardens, because I just would be afraid that you would kill the plant.”

Other DIY Ways to Kill Weeds in the Garden

Both Hackman and Watson recommend pulling the weeds out from the ground with your hands or garden tools. Watson advises using a garden hoe to cut off the top of the weed above the soil.

“They start then breaking down and putting nutrients back into the garden,” he says. “They all wilt very quickly, and within a couple of days, you wouldn’t see them.”

If you’re dealing with a dandelion or another weed with a taproot, Watson suggests using vinegar to cause the plant to dehydrate.

“If you use white vinegar from the cupboards, that should start breaking down the plant, and then take it down into the taproot,” he says.