Over the weekend I was in my garden, checking out my vegetables when I saw that a few of the radishes were ready to be picked. I leaned over, pulled them up only to discover upon closer examination that something had gotten to them first.

Being a bit peeved I decided to head down to the organic nursery to pick up some Neem oil. It is a great way to keep insects away and your vegetables to yourself.

For anyone that has never heard of Neem oil consider this your lucky day, for you have just stumbled upon a life saver. I mean that literally.

Neem oil is produced from the seeds of the Neem tree. It is a natural insect repellent that can be used both on your plants and on yourself to keep pests away including mosquitoes that carry the West Nile Virus. Some have even suggested that it is more effective than the very harmful synthetic repellants.

They also make a dog shampoo with Neem oil which is a great natural alternative to the synthetic flee and tick treatments. I use it on our dogs all the time not only because it helps with the fleas but also because the shampoo smells so good. Our lab still smells great 3 or 4 days after we bathe him. With the other shampoo he just smells like wet dog. It also has vitamin E which is great for the dog dander.

A couple of things to keep in mind when spraying Neem oil on your plants is to try to spray at night because the Neem oil can burn the leaves if sprayed in the sun. While Neem oil is nontoxic, try not to spray it when your beneficial insects are around like ladybugs because you doing chase them off. We need them in our gardens.

So Neem oil is not just great to keep pest away in your veggie garden but it is also a great alternative to keep pests away from you and your dog.

Here are some other organic, natural and environmental options for pest control.

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