It’s summer now and mosquitoes are starting to get aggressive, but you want to enjoy your beautiful garden without getting completely eaten. We all know that chemical pesticides are a no-no in the kitchen garden. Why? Because the plants will take up the chemicals from the soil and deposit them in our bodies. No one wants to eat pesticides!

Here are a few natural ways to repel these pesky buggers:

1) Burn a Fresh Rosemary Sprig. If you’re barbequing, throw a fresh sprig of rosemary on the hot grill or hot coals and the smoke will not only keep the bugs away, it’ll make your whole patio smell wonderful!

2). Plant our favorite Mosquito-repelling plants: Lavender, Mint, Rosemary, Marigold, Basil, Sage, Lemongrass. Mosquitoes don’t like strong smells so planting these will help keep them away. Make sure and put a few of these in pots around your patio sitting area.

3). Fan. Mosquitoes are weak fliers and will steer clear of the strong air current of a good fan. Plus, you’ll stay cool in the heat!

4) Remove standing water. This is a BIG one. Mosquitoes lay their eggs in water and that’s where the larvae thrive. Make sure your beds and pots are draining well and use mosquito dunks in your birdbaths and ponds (they’re safe for birds!). Mosquito larvae can’t survive in moving water, so get a small fountain for your pond or birdbath to keep the water in motion or regularly replace the water in the birdbath.

5) Citronella: The old standby. Light up a nice citronella candle or incense sticks while you’re enjoying your time outside.

Ok! That’s it for now. If you’ve got some annoying mosquitoes testing your patience, give some of these remedies a try and let us know how it goes!