Don't Toss Aluminum Pie Pans — They Can Save Your Fruit And Veggie Plants From Common Pests

There are various ways to keep your vegetables and fruits safe from pests in the garden without using harsh chemicals. Some of the best natural pesticides for your garden are inexpensive things that you might already have in the kitchen — household items that you might otherwise discard. Believe it or not, your empty aluminum pie pans can offer protection for your fruit and veggies by discouraging critters like deer, rabbits, and mice from chomping them up. 

If deer are an issue where you live, tying empty pans from store-bought pies to your garden fence, trellises, or posts might help keep them away. The sound they make as they bang against each other when they move, and the reflections they produce in sunlight, will scare off the deer. Tying aluminum pans to your fruit trees and near your tomato plants also helps keep birds from getting to the ripe fruit before you do, as the reflection and sound will scare them. In fact, any disposable aluminum pan — your empty takeout containers and casserole pans returning from the potluck — will work, as long as they are thoroughly cleaned.

Simply punch a hole in the pans and string a few together with twine or fishing line, and find a good spot to hang them. Hopefully, the critters will get spooked and run away from your precious veggies and fruit. You can also try this trick that uses wind and light to repel pests from the garden. 

While aluminum pie pans can deter larger pests, aluminum foil is also useful in the garden for deterring critters. You can use foil to wrap the stems of young tree saplings to discourage deer from foraging on them. The foil should go higher up the stem, up to your waist, for the best results.

Another simple solution to protect young plants is to wrap the stems with strips of foil a few inches long around the base, just below the soil, to protect tender stems. This trick works similarly to this trash-to-garden hack to keep pests away from young plants. Don't cover any leaves or wrap the foil too tightly, as this inhibits the plant's growth. Wrap it just tightly enough to stay in place against the stem so it keeps pests from reaching the plant. When watering foil-wrapped plants, do not get the stems wet, as this can create ideal conditions for fungal diseases.

You can also deter slugs and snails by placing sheets of foil around the plant's base to create a slippery barrier, which the slithery critters dislike. Use the foil with the shiny side out, as this has another pest-detering effect. The idea is that the shiny foil will reflect the sun's UV light, which confuses flying pests, preventing them from landing on the plant. 

While these clever ideas for reusing kitchen aluminum products are effective, there are some drawbacks to consider. The reflected light might deter beneficial insects as well as pests, and it might cause leaf burn in the heat of summer. Lastly, check them daily to make sure they stay in place and don't become litter — needless to say, aluminum is not biodegradable.