Need advice on organic and/or evo-friendly pest control for vegetable garden?

I've got a nice vegetable garden, but grasshoppers and other insects are going after my broccoli plants something fierce. I'd rather not use chemical insecticides to stop them. Does anyone have any advice on how to protect my plants without resorting to Raid? I've heard of making solutions with dish soap and other household items; that's the sort of stuff I'm looking for.Need advice on organic and/or evo-friendly pest control for vegetable garden?
contolling insect pests organically is multi faceted-there is no magic bullet





Keep the soil healthy and that keeps the plants healthy-pest insects prey on weak plants and will avoid healthy plants.





realize that 95% of all insects are either neutral or beneficial





Know that your plants can lose 70% of their leaves to insect damage and still be fine





Strategies





hand picking and manually killing insect pests is amazing effective


soap sprays for soft bodied pests such as aphids





hang a humming bird feeder in your garden as they eat many kinds of pest insects





Have habitat for beneficial insects such as a small plot of tall weeds that have flowers like coriander or Queen Anne's Lace as beneficial insect like to eat the pollen from such plants. Also have water sources for these insects.





Row covers are great at excluding insects. I use thousands of feet of these on my farm but they have to go on as soon as seed/seedlings are planted.





It takes many years to get a garden environment into balance so you don't have too many pest insects (nor so few that the beneficial critters have nothing to eat). You will have damage that looks worse than it is for the next few years but resist using poisons (including organic) as this will set you back about 5 years for each application and keep you on the toxic chemical treadmill.Need advice on organic and/or evo-friendly pest control for vegetable garden?
Anything that attracts birds will help with an insect problem (though the birds would be big to eat grasshoppers!). Nearby brush or trees for perches and cover will help. Sounds as if you already avoid pesticides, which is beneficial for birds.





You could also provide cover for toads. Clay flower pots half-buried on their sides can provide shelter.





Diatomaceous earth can help with caterpillars and it's completely innocuous.
Don't use Raid, or you'll kill yourself!





I puree 2 heads of garlic and a tablespoon of cayenne pepper, bring it to a simmer and let it cool. I strain it into a pure liquid and use a spray bottle to apply it to my garden. It doesn't kill, but it is one of the best deterrents I have ever used. I have absolutely no insect damage so far.
Dish soap works usually on the small guys like scales and mites, but for the bigger guys, try introducing predatory insects. Check this out


http://www.grinningplanet.com/2005/04-26鈥?/a>
marigold flowers deterr lots of pests