Plant care, the NordicLavender way, is all about organic and food-safe products, methods, and techniques.
But plant care goes beyond dealing with pests and diseases. You want to create a growing environment where your plants thrive without introducing harmful pests, insects, and fungal diseases.
And here, nothing is more effective than early detection. Do spend time looking at your plants. Early detection is vital in fighting off pests and diseases successfully.
Another often overlooked factor is proper watering. Always water at the base of the plant and avoid getting the leaves wet. And then, there is mulching or using weed barrier landscape fabric to create a protective layer between the soil and plant.
But, as hard as I try, I every year have to face aphids, white flies, leaf miners, slugs, snails, and so on. Here on this page, I have gathered some of the tools I use for looking after and treating plants but also to help perennial herbs overwinter successfully.
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Tools we use to care for our herbs and vegetables
Manual pressure pump sprayer
Necessary? Not until you wake up to a full-on attack of aphids across several tomato or pepper plants. One of my better investments.
Truly indispensable when you have more than a couple of plants to spray daily. Regular one-pump-per-spray bottles are great, but my hands get tired, and having that manual pump to build up pressure and then just be ready to go for several minutes is a blessing.
This model is great for close-up spray action. Look below if you need a model with further reach.
If you have experienced a full-on aphids attack, you know that spraying by hand does get tiring.
Instead, we use a manual pump-action pressure pump. There are electric pressure pumps, but manually building up the pressure is easy.
For me, a manual-action pressure pump is the better value option.
- Safety pressure valve
- Adjustable brass nozzle
- Good size (0,5 gallon/2 liters)
- There are electric pressure pumps
Far-reaching garden pressure pump sprayer
Great when you need to spray plants that are growing tall or when you need to reach deep.
I use mine specifically for indeterminate tomato varieties. Great if you need to spray those mature beefsteak tomato plants.
Easy to use for those hard-to-reach areas in the garden. Give it a few pumps, adjust the nozzle, and you are ready to go.
Comes in different sizes. I prefer the 2-gallon (7,6 liters) tank as I sometimes need it but have the option to only fill the tank with what I need for the job.
For me, it is a great tool for general garden use but also to fight pests and fungal diseases on larger plants like bushy peppers and indeterminate tomato plants.
- Adjustable cone nozzle
- Anti-clog filter
- Allows spraying with reach and precision
- Great for plant care and fertilizers
- 2-gallon / 7.6 liter version can get heavy to carry
Neem oil
Effective pesticide for use on plants against aphids, powdery mildew, thrips, whiteflies, mites, fungus gnats, beetles, moth larvae, mushroom flies, leaf miners, and nematodes.
Easy to use and inexpensive compared to many other products with no reported adverse effect on pets, earthworms, insects, or pollinators when used correctly.
Neem oil is banned in the UK and Canada due to slight toxicity to marine wildlife.
100% pure and natural.
My go-to product for treating herbs, vegetables, and plants against pests and diseases.
Mix with water and use a spray bottle to apply early morning or late evening.
- Concentrated, free of water or additives
- People, pets, and garden friendly
- 32 Fl Oz is a good size for a normal garden
- Also available in 8 Fl Oz bottle
- For indoor and outdoor plants and vegetables
- 8 Fl Oz image looks bigger than it is
Weed barrier landscape fabric
We can do several simple things to help our plants grow and thrive. Keeping weeds from growing and creating a protective layer between soil and plant belong to this group.
Weeds consume resources from your plants, and we all want to keep soil-born diseases far away from our herbs and vegetables. Using weed barrier landscape fabric can help you achieve both of these goals.
Chemical-free weed barrier rolls that won't damage your yard's ecosystem.
Weed barrier and mulch in the same product. Also great for making your own grow bags.
- Eco-friendly, chemical-free
- Allows some air, water, and soil nutrients to reach the soil
- Available in 50 to 200 ft rolls
- Heavy-duty and durable
- Tricky to lay if windy
- Can fray if cut hastily
Bubble wrap
Bubble wrap is great for creating an insulating layer for perennial herbs and plants spending winter outdoors.
Place a piece of wood below the pot to lift it off the ground, and then cover it in bubble wrap. Be gentle, and you can reuse the bubble wrap for many more seasons to come.
Easy to wrap around pots and containers spending winter outdoors.
Good quality that will last several seasons if handled responsibly.
Easy to dry and store for next winter.
- Good value if you take the time to compare
- Durable, will last if treated right
- Available in different sizes
- There are always cheaper alternatives
Long-reach garden hose nozzle sprayer
If you are a regular reader, you already know that I make and use grow bags for many of my plants and vegetables. And if you have read my articles, you know that we never want to wet the leaves when watering plants.
And as it does get tiresome to bend down to water plants at soil level, a long-reach garden hose nozzle sprayer is truly a lifesaver for my back. I could honestly not do without it.
You always want to water vegetables, tomatoes, and peppers at the base of the plant to avoid leaves getting wet. And with a long nozzle sprayer want you can do just that without hurting your knees or back.
- Perfect for watering at the base without hurting back
- Adjustable length 36”-60” (ca 90 - 150 cm)
- 7 different spray patterns
Soaker hoses
Nice but not necessary, but oh so nice on a hot summer day when life gets in the way of gardening.
I place mine around my tomato plants and connect it to a timer for those hot days when I know my tomato plants will need water, and I am away. And no, while I have lovely neighbors, I would not trust them with my tomato plants.
Soaker hoses are perfect for watering vegetable gardens and raised garden beds on those hot summer days. Well, they are great all season long, but for me, they are a lifesaver in July and August when the weather is really hot.
Leave it on to water your plants and carry on sipping that cool iced tea.
I prefer the round soaker hoses, but there are also flat models.
- Perfect time saver on hot days
- Heavy-duty recycled rubber
- 7 year warranty
- Some may prefer a flat hose
Hose carts
The true workhorse of the garden. I have 2 of these, and they live on opposite sides of our house.
Reliable, easy-to-use, durable – I feel like I could go on, but my Gardena hose carts are great. The optional hose guide is a nice feature, and it makes a big difference, especially when rolling back the hose.
Gardena is one of my favorite brands, and they have never let me down. This hose cart is a complete set and is one of our true workhorses for the outdoor growing season.
The frostproof feature does help, as we never learn and tend to get surprised every year.
This is an investment in your gardening and you will not regret buying a Gardena brand gardening tool.
- Durable and solid construction
- Hose guide option is a great feature
- Kickstand prevents the cart from falling over
- There are cheaper alternatives
