Kylie, gardening away in Geelong Victoria recently emailed us for a natural pesticide. Here are two recipes: garlic water and tobacco water.

Many organic gardeners swear by garlic water, others find it better as a deterrent rather than a killer. It certainly makes the garden smell like a Mediterranean restaurant for a day or two!

Garlic water
Crush three or four cloves of garlic and infuse them in half a litre of hot water until it is cool and suitably smelly.

It is most effective against soft-bodied insects such as aphids or bean fly. It can even be used on vegetables in the harvest season-though they may taste a bit garlicky.

Tobacco water
Make the same way, using the leaf of a tobacco plant (or tobacco from two or three cigarettes or a good pinch or two of pipe tobacco - much better than smoking it!) in a litre of hot water until it is the colour of weak tea. Tobacco is poisonous and can be absorbed into the skin: wear gloves, even when handling a solution as mild as this.

Soapy water
A strong froth of soapy water kills insects, but be sure to use soft soap based on potassium rather than ordinary soap based on sodium, a substance you don't want to add to your soil. Insecticidal soaps can be purchased: they often have pyrethrum added. You might like to add a little soft soap to other insecticides: it helps them stick to the plant and the bugs. Don't use detergent, however, as it is a great polluter.

For more organic gardening methods look for A Practical Guide to Organic Gardening by Roger Mann (Murdoch Books).

Sall'ee Ryman's recipe
"Here is a recipe from my mum: It's based on chilli, garlic, tea tree oil, and minmal soap steeped in hot water and then drained. Put it into your common household pump spray and spray on plants. You can also add a multitude of aromatherapy oils based on the pests you are battling."

Kylie Guerin's recipe
"For my roses in spring, a good old fashioned soap spray gets rid of aphids, two spotted mites and caterpillars: Add 1 tblsp pure soap flakes or grated sunlight soap to 1 cup boiling water and dissolve. Stir in 1 tblsp of white oil. Dilute in 2L water and spray as required. For weeds simply pour on salted boiling water."