Do you have bugs or birds eating your garden produce this year? Try cooking up this garden spray and giving the leaves and surrounding ground a good spritzing. Before you know it, you will be on your way to gorgeous, bite-free leaves!
Garlic Peppermint Garden Spray
Ingredients:
- 4 cloves garlic, roughly diced
- 4 cups water
- 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 8–10 drops peppermint essential oil
- 3–4 drops liquid biodegradable dish soap or Castile Soap
- 16 oz. Glass Bottle with Trigger Spray
Instructions:
- Place garlic, water, and cayenne in a pot. Bring to a boil, and then remove from heat.
- Cover the pot with a lid, and allow the mixture to steep overnight.
- Remove the garlic cloves from the pot.
- Place peppermint essential oil and dish soap in a glass spray bottle.
- Carefully pour the garlic-cayenne water into the glass spray bottle. A funnel is helpful for this step.
- Screw the spray top on the bottle, and shake a little to combine the ingredients.
- To use, spray the tops and bottoms of the plant leaves. It is best to spray on a cloudy day or in the evening so the sun and cayenne combination doesn’t burn the plants. Apply every couple weeks or as needed. Wait 2–3 days after spraying to harvest any food.
Extra Idea:
Use two 8 oz. Glass Spray Bottles instead of the 16 oz. bottle so you can have someone else help you spray. Note: if using 2 smaller bottles, place 4–5 drops of peppermint oil and 2 drops of dish soap in each bottle.
Do you use essential oils in your garden? And if so, what do you use?
March 31, 2016 at 5:48 pm
Do you know if this will keep rabbits from nibbling on your garden? That’s what I have the most trouble with.
LikeLike
April 4, 2016 at 9:45 am
We don’t get rabbits in our garden, so we haven’t been able to test that. However, we did find that it kept the birds away from eating our greens. If you try it and it works in keeping the rabbits out, please let us know!
LikeLike
March 17, 2016 at 1:22 pm
I just reread. It doesn’t say to double the recipe. It says to split it into 2 8oz bottles so someone can help.
LikeLike
March 17, 2016 at 1:20 pm
I agree! Maybe its for 2 bottles?
LikeLike
March 10, 2016 at 6:42 pm
Thank you. I wouldn’t think the water would boil down since the recipe instructs to just bring to a boil, cover and remove from heat to steep overnight. I’ll be waiting to hear more.
LikeLiked by 1 person
March 10, 2016 at 2:51 pm
I’m confused……..the recipe says 4 cups water (1 quart) and the directions say to put in an 16oz spray bottle (which is 2 cups) or to double the recipe and put in 2 8oz bottles (total of 16 oz or 2cups). The recipe doubled would be 2 quarts of the mixture if my math is correct. Please clarify where the error is in the recipe
LikeLike
March 10, 2016 at 4:42 pm
Hmm… I can see why you are confused. If I remember right, I think the water boils down a little so you don’t actually end up with 4 cups in the end. Also, you are right that the extra idea shouldn’t say to “double the recipe”. I will test out the recipe again to see how I can make it less confusing.
LikeLike