Sophie Thomson's Open Garden over the Easter weekend was a great opportunity to keep spreading the word about 'Pesticide Free Pest Control' for home gardeners. The level of interest in my talk on Easter Monday - despite the wet weather - shows that serious gardeners are looking for ways to move away from using synthetic and harsh pesticides.

There was lots of good interaction with the audience and as so often happens when talking to gardeners, I also went away with some good ideas to pass on to customers.

My talk focused on taking a more diverse approach to pest management, instead of just relying on a spray to solve the problem. A combination of good growing techniques, smart plant choices, the use and encouragement of good bugs and the use of soft spray options is needed to achieve long term pest management.