The first thing you should try and do is Deter the pests. By that I mean make it difficult for them to eat your veggies without actually killing them.

If that doesn't work then there are a range of environmentally friendly remedies you can use to keep those pesky critters under control.

Finally, if the Defend and Deter remedies still do not do the job then you can always resort to Dynamite.  That being the use of the more powerful insecticides.  However, it is my view that if you are using the Deter and Defend principles effectively you will rarely need to apply Dynamite remedies, especially as you get more experienced as a gardener.

There is actually a 4th 'D' in the Deter, Defend, Dynamite pest control program. I call it "Darn Right Bloody Dangerous". Chemicals in this list I would not use under any circumstances as I consider them far too dangerous. There are too many for me to bother listing here but some examples would be any chemicals that claim to stop weeds growing for an entire year and the heavy duty poisons used to kill blackberries. I am sure you could name plenty yourself.

On the links on this page I have listed a range of activities and chemicals under the different categories of Deter, Defend and Dynamite. However the Three D's program is not meant as a hard and fast rule to be rigidly followed, but rather a flexible guideline that can be adapted to the gardener's needs and specific views on gardening. People reading this will have different ideas as to what chemicals should be listed under the different categories and should adapt this program according to their own views.

However, before applying any of the Three Ds program, always consider  The Percentage Factor first.