Grow Your Own Herbs in Pots or in the Garden

Herbs have many household uses other than cooking and can help reduce our consumption of chemical pest controls.

Many easily grown herbs can be used as natural insect repellents. Try to find Balm of Gilead, Citronella or Lemon Balm.

Lemon Balm has lemon scented leaves, which act as a mosquito repellent when rubbed on the skin.

Lavender can be used instead of mothballs to repel moths in linen cupboards and wardrobes.

Pennyroyal repels fleas and is an effective deterrent when planted around dog kennels or chopped and sprinkled in pet baskets. Fennel is also another useful herbal flea repellent. Pick a piece of fennel and squash it to make the juice flow, then rub your dog down with it. Dogs are not perturbed by the pungent aniseed smell but fleas can't bear it. Cats don't seem to like or respond well to this herbal method of flea control but they don't seem to mind pennyroyal.