Is your flourishing garden being invaded by flying and crawling insects?
It’s a real pain in the butt for me seeing those freeloaders infesting my precious harvest. And before I can bring those precious and juicy plants to dishes, they were already munched by aphids, fruit flies, caterpillars, and countless nuisance bugs.
So, I’ve spent a large amount of time researching the best insecticide for a vegetable garden to get rid of this frustration.
And instead of finding the rescue, I came through a number of killers. I eventually could pile up a list of eco-friendly options. They are all active insecticides that work effectively to eliminate bugs in your garden.
Here are the best insecticides for vegetable garden you can buy in 2024:
- Best For Tomatoes: Garden Safe Multi-Purpose Garden Insect Killer
- Best For Cole Crops: Monterey LG6150 Garden Insect Spray
- Best For Japanese Beetles: BioAdvanced 701287A Miticide Pesticide Fungicide 3-in-1 Insect
- Best For Plant Bugs: Safer Brand 5110-6 Insect Killing Soap
- Best For Leafy Vegetables: Sevin Insect Killer Concentrate
- Best For Peppers: Southern Ag 08722 Triple Action Neem Oil
| Best Insecticide For Vegetable Garden: Top 6 Picks | ||
|---|---|---|
Best For Tomatoes | Garden Safe Multi-Purpose Garden Insect Killer | |
Best For Cole Crops | Monterey LG6150 Garden Insect Spray | Read Our Review |
Best For Japanese Beetles | BioAdvanced 701287A Miticide Pesticide Fungicide 3-in-1 Insect | Read Our Review |
Best For Plant Bugs | Safer Brand 5110-6 Insect Killing Soap | Read Our Review |
Best For Leafy Vegetables | Sevin Insect Killer Concentrate | |
Best For Peppers | Southern Ag 08722 Triple Action Neem Oil | Read Our Review |
Best For Tomatoes: Garden Safe Multi-Purpose Garden Insect Killer
- Reasonable price
- Can control many kinds of insects effectively
- Sometimes, the pumps don't work
Although the manufacturer doesn't mention tomatoes in "USE FOR" on the label, customers have proven its effect on this type of plant.
After using, the Garden Safe Multi-Purpose Garden Insect Killer can manage insects in their tomato garden especially tomato worms, aphid eggs, spider mites very well quickly and easily. In particular, this type is safe to use until you harvest your tomatoes.
Another plus of this product is versatility. You can utilize it to eradicate insects but also fungi, mites and ticks.
| Garden Safe Multi-Purpose Garden Insect Killer Specifications | |
|---|---|
Weight | 1.81 pounds |
Usage Area | Indoors and outdoors |
Highlight Features | Kills on contact |
The Garden Safe Multi-Purpose Garden Insect Killer can control tomato killers effectively.
Best For Cole Crops: Monterey LG6150 Garden Insect Spray
- Organic
- Fast-acting
- Odorless
- Applicable to different plants
- Excellent control of cabbage worms
- Can’t kill aphids
- Not ready-to-use
With the Monterey insect spray, you can rest assured that your cabbage and broccoli are safe from loopers, webworms, and caterpillars.
I was freaking out seeing white moths flying around and laid eggs then caterpillars chewed down my greens. So, the solution for cabbage loopers is this Monterey Insect Killer. It’s a bacterial product fermented to treat plans but leaves no odor.
That’s not yet the greatest part.
It contains spinosad, which is considered organic made from soil microbes. And it is this component that kills insects.
Once applied, the insecticide acts quite instantly. I could see the effect happening the day after I sprayed. It did shut down those malicious pests and them from chewing your plants.
You can use this spray to control pests on ornamentals, lawns, and also broadleaf weeds.
| Monterey LG6150 Garden Insect Spray Specifications | |
|---|---|
Weight | 1.2 pounds |
Usage Area | Both sides of leaves |
Highlight Features | Spinosad helps control a variety of insects. Safe for organic gardening |
This spray was exactly what I need to protect my kales, broccoli, cabbage, and related plants.
Best For Japanese Beetles: BioAdvanced 701287A Miticide Pesticide Fungicide 3-in-1 Insect
- Control multiple pests
- Super effective on Japanese beetles
- Highly effective against aphids
- Cost-efficient
- Not fast acting
- Not very effective on spider mites
- Use on non-edible plants only
I bought this spray to treat Japanese beetles eating roses in my grandma's home. She had been pissed off at the damaged rosebuds and ugly leaves.
The concern grew bigger when these little “bad boys” kept coming back before I used this spray. BioAdvanced is made to focus on Japanese beetles, aphids, whiteflies, spider mites, leafminers, and more.
Thus it worked perfectly on roses and other plants like hibiscus, iris, ornamentals, shrubs, and so on. The effect lasted around 27 days and I noticed there were no those crawling creatures appearing again.
I also applied this BioAdvanced spray to treat fungus on my vines. No doubt the miracle also happened. It controlled the disease and cured black spots on the leaves. And the result looked gorgeous.
The spray can solve problems with mites as well. If you ever need to kill spider mites on contact, there you have the solution ready.
| BioAdvanced 701287A Miticide Pesticide Fungicide 3-in-1 Insect Specifications | |
|---|---|
Weight | 2.45 pounds |
Usage Area | Leaves on both sides and new growth |
Highlight Features | 3-in-1 formula treats many plant diseases. Highly focus on Japanese beetles |
My granny ended up storing 5 bottles of this spray. She knows the effects and needs it again for her beautiful rose garden.
Best For Plant Bugs: Safer Brand 5110-6 Insect Killing Soap
- Economical
- Plant friendly
- Fast effect
- Only kill harmful bugs
- May not kill aphids
- Doesn’t work well on soil gnats
This insect killer from Safer is actually a recommendation of my neighbor to treat plant bugs in general while saving my budget.
It is said to kill psyllids, sawfly larvae, soft scales, spider mites, squash bugs, blossom thrips, and whiteflies. Indeed, it worked on my plants after the first two applications.
The only I’m unsure is if this product is any safe for edible plants but I really expect it would because the label says it’s just seaweed extract.
This insecticidal soap basically contains compounds that penetrate and dehydrate bugs’ bodies. It only targets harmful insects and leaves beneficial species alone.
In my case, mealybugs were the major concern of plants on my patio. I could have used Neem oil, but I wanted to try this suggestion. It did reduce the population of those insects however for aphids, I still saw them crawling. But I think it wasn’t the solution that didn’t work but just new aphids kept coming back. I’ll keep spraying and see how it goes.
When using the solution, I sprayed from top to bottom. There was a smell but the odor is acceptable, not as bad as most pesticides I knew before those in this list.
| Safer Brand 5110-6 Insect Killing Soap Specifications | |
|---|---|
Weight | 2.3 pounds |
Usage Area | Whole plant |
Highlight Features | Natural seaweed extract only put down deleterious plan bugs |
This spray is a great solution for my plants that qualifies my requirement of killing the right creatures and not harming the environment.
Best For Leafy Vegetables: Sevin Insect Killer Concentrate
- Easy to use, mix and apply
- Effective after one application
- Safe on plants
- High cost
- Not clear instruction
Leafy vegetables are an edible type of plant, so you have to choose a safe product without containing chemical and toxic ingredients. If not, it can badly influence your health when consumed. Luckily, the Sevin Insect Killer Concentrate is formulated for this purpose, so you can set your mind at rest about its safety.
| Sevin Insect Killer Concentrate Specifications | |
|---|---|
Weight | 1 pound |
Highlight Features | Active Ingredients: Zeta-Cypermethrin |
The Sevin Insect Killer Concentrate is a safe choice for leafy vegetables and other kinds of plants.
Best For Peppers: Southern Ag 08722 Triple Action Neem Oil
- Triple effect
- Control multiple pests and diseases
- Eco-friendly
- Cost-efficient
- Not 100% organic
This Southern Neem oil is friendly and effective on houseplants, shrubs, vegetables, and fruit trees. But I found it mostly do the greatest work on my peppers.
It controls fungal diseases including black spot, powdery mildew, botrytis, and scab. For pests, it kills whiteflies, aphids, and scale. It works by smothering and suffocating the insects with a thin film of oil.
This Neem oil is any different from the one I already introduced?
Well, it triples the action for a better outcome.
You can mix it with pyrethrin for complete control of bugs and other terrors in your garden. It’s also possible to mix with water and apply it as a systemic.
I could see my peppers gained their lives back sprouting new glossy leaves at the end of the day. That’s so relieving.
| Southern Ag 08722 Triple Action Neem Oil Specifications | |
|---|---|
Weight | 8.8 ounces |
Usage Area | All plant surfaces |
Highlight Features | Extract Neem oil with triple action for more sounding results |
I like the result that was fast and pleasant using this Southern Neem oil.
How To Choose The Best Insecticides For Vegetable Garden?
Insecticides come in a variety to focus on treating well certain types of pests. This is because, in one vegetable garden, you are likely dealing with that feed on, not only veggies, but also fruits, ornamentals, houseplants, and on and on.
Therefore, it’s important to know which kind of pesticide to suit your demand.
Basically, an insecticide is a solution made to kill insects. It’s a form of pesticide that works effectively in controlling and killing insects.
However, there is more than one kind of insecticides.
Botanical
This kind is more familiar with organic gardeners for its nature. Botanical insecticides contain no toxic chemicals. Mostly, the pesticide is an extraction from plants and minerals which are safe for humans but harmful to insects.
The naturally-occurring chemicals of botanical pesticides usually come in forms of spinosad, neem oil, or Pyrethrin. In which:
Spinosad: a mixture of Spinosyn A and B made from a soil bacterium. The substance highly affects insects without harming the environment. Spinosad attacks the nerve system of bugs then paralyze them in 1 or 2 days.
Neem oil: a naturally occurring pesticide found in Neem trees, majorly in the fruit and seeds. Neem oil contains Azadirachtin, an active component that repels and eliminates pests. It’s also very effective in controlling the growth of eggs and larva.
Pyrethrin: extraction from the flowers of the pyrethrum chrysanthemum plant. It has an effect on a wide range of insects. The insecticide is friendly to organic gardening with a low toxicity level. Besides, pyrethrin is known to cast an instant knock-down as soon as it comes to contact. However, even with little use of Piperonyl Butoxide (PBO), humans may not find any interest in consuming plants sprayed with it. In this case, Neem oil is a more preferable choice.
Inorganic
You probably need to be aware that using inorganic insecticides is killing the earth. But it’s worth knowing a few things about this type.
Inorganic insecticides consist of heavy metal and arsenic compounds that are high in performance. There are four types of insecticide.
Systematic: Usually applied to the soil. Once the roots absorb the substance, it moves the insecticide up to the leaves, fruits, twigs, and branches to prevents pests from eating them.
Ingested: A sort of poison attractive to rodents and cockroaches. Once the rats or bugs consume, they will come to death.
Contact: Available in sprays, liquid vaporizers, repellents, or coils to eradicate insects. You might have used this type to disinfect your home.
Herbicides: Used to destroy the damaged parts of plants. Herbicides include fungicides; mostly popular in destroying weeds and fungi.
Which Brands Make The Best Insecticides For Vegetable Garden?
Monterey
- Specified in producing products for lawns and gardens, Monterey has been around for 25 years offering home gardeners professional-grade gardening technology. What they have is not only insecticides made to kill plants’ enemies, but also to make your greeneries evolve healthily.
Bayer
- The German multinational pharmaceutical and life sciences company is a popular name in the agriculture field. They are one of the leading companies in producing science-based products. For crops, animals, plants, Bayer commits advanced science to shape them the best health. With more than 150 years a lot of patented technology, Bayer provides just the right solutions for your garden.
FAQs
What can I spray on my vegetable garden to kill bugs?
If you are organic gardeners, natural-based insecticides are your most ideal options. But besides, there are more ways to control harmful insects, using:
Soapy water
Beer
Garlic
Herbal water spray
Pepper spray
Nicotine
Plain downpour water
Alcohol spray
How do I keep bugs out of my vegetable garden?
There is a number of ways you can do to control bugs in your veggie garden. Spraying insecticide is one way, another is to use home-made solutions. But if you mean is there is any way to manage those freeloaders without applying any chemical; yes, there are some:
Fertilize and water regularly
Plant herbs and flowers around the plants
Attract predators
Clean weeds
Spray vinegar
Remove infested plants
Place pheromone traps
What is a natural pesticide for vegetable gardens?
Neem oil is the most popular natural pesticide for your greens. Besides, you can use spinosad - a type of naturally occurring bacteria, or iron phosphate that kills snail and slugs.
I also found another organic thing you can use is Diatomaceous Earth. It’s a very fine powder that scrapes bellies of any insect that crosses over it.
What's eating my plants at night?
Moths, beetles, mosquitos, crickets, snails, and slugs are among harmful-for-plants creatures that are active at night.
Will vinegar kill bugs on plants?
Yes. White vinegar is an active bug repellent when combined with other ingredients in a soap spray. You can apply the mixture on plants in the trees and shrubs, the underside of leaves to allow direct contact.
Conclusion
The best insecticide for a vegetable garden is a vital solution to have in your storage to control the health of your harvest.
Using these sprays is not at all a problem even you are new. Just follow the instruction on the label to get the right mixture. Always prepare spray bottles or dispensers. Remember, when handling this liquid, you should have gloves on.
And if there are any more questions I did not cover, please leave them in the comment. I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
Thank you for staying tuned.
Harry RamosI’m Harry Ramos, who's crazy about all things green. I’m here to share some experience in my gardening adventure and how to choose the best products for your garden. Let's dig in, get our hands dirty, and celebrate the simple, earthy pleasures of the garden together!
