What to do in the garden in September: pick off pests

Removing pests by hand is preferable for many to eating pesticides; plus the birds benefit too

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Catipillar
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There is no shortage of chemicals that can be applied to your vegetables that will leave them pristinely pest-free, but some find the idea of munching invisible pesticide residues unpalatable. One alternative is physical removal of the blighters. Issue forth into the cabbage patch with a bucket, find, for example, the caterpillars of the cabbage white butterfly lurking underneath the leaves, and remove them with finger and thumb. Some like to squidge them immediately, but those of more delicate sensibilities may prefer to drop them onto some paving for the birds to polish off. Their need is greater than ours.

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Country Life
Country Life

Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by HRH The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.

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