If you try to avoid this problem by not allowing the bad bugs to take over your garden from the start, you create other ones. A large proportion of the chemicals used in the readily available pesticides are toxic to small children and pets.

All these chemicals are designed to do one thing - kill living things and they're very good at it. That means they also kill any beneficial insects that you should encourage to make their home in your garden beds.

Ladybugs and spiders are among your best friends in the garden. They're the predators that feed on the pests that damage your plants, so you want to encourage them, not kill them. These helpful bugs will either feed on the pests or drive them away.

You should find out from your local nursery what plants attract these helpful insects so that you can plant them to encourage the good pests to take up residence and keep the damaging ones out.

There are some plants that give off a scent that repels the bad bugs and keeps them away from your precious produce. Such plants - like marigolds and the borage herb plant - are very effective at keeping those pests away from your tomato plants. Plant them nearby and watch your tomato plants grow to be healthy and robust.

Another thing to keep in mind is to keep your garden neat and tidy. The harmful pests are often attracted to piles of leaves, debris, grass cuttings and dense spots of weeds. Many of the bad pests can thrive in those areas, so weed your garden regularly and clean up any leaves and grass cuttings that find their way into your garden.

There are also some home remedies that will repel these damaging pests such as a hot pepper wax spray. The harmful insects and even some native pests will be put off by the spicy oil residue this leaves on your plants.

As long as you give your harvest a good wash you can forget about any after taste. This will remove any traces of the spray before you eat your crops, so don't worry.

Every gardener wants to see their garden thrive after putting a lot of hours of hard work and dedication into it. No one wants to see that labor go down the drain by losing their plants to those annoying pests that seem to move into your garden as soon as you plant it out.

Do a little homework first around your local area and find out what are the best companion plants to keep the good guys around and what will annoy the bad pests, this will pay dividends.