Garden Trees, Shrubs & Vines
Sandy Baker
Huckleberry shrubs can make for a beautiful addition to your garden, but they can also help to keep it pest-free. The fruit produced, much like a blueberry in the way it looks and grows, can be consumed. However, according to a TikTok trend, positioning the plant near your at-risk vegetables can also help to deter pests. By growing this type of shrub by your crops, you can naturally ward off insects and other critters that typically eat vegetables or damage a plant’s leaves.
The huckleberry hack relies on the benefits of companion planting, which is the process of planting one plant or others so they can work to support each other’s needs. When you plant huckleberry around your peppers, squash, and other veggies, the plant attracts the pests that would damage those crops. This shrub does not ward off the insects but rather draws them to it. This is called a trap companionship planting. Because the insects eat away at the huckleberry plant, they are less likely to go after the crops you want to protect.
This method is a simple organic gardening hack since huckleberry shrubs tend to be very easy to grow. It typically works for smaller pests, insects such as beetles, that cause damage to the leaves of vegetable plants. For birds and larger pests, like rabbits or groundhogs, this isn’t much of a solution, though there are natural pest control methods that can help with those critters, too.
How to use huckleberry plants to get rid of pests
Daria A/Shutterstock
To see the benefits of huckleberry shrubs in protecting garden vegetables from being decimated, first you’ll need an understanding of the types of pests you have and the degree of infestation. Aim to plant this bush prior to starting the rest of the garden and around the exterior of those plants. This helps to draw in the pests to the shrub before the other plants begin to grow. This method may work for lettuce, peppers, tomatoes, and sweet potatoes, among others.
You can purchase huckleberry seeds to grow the shrub from the ground up or purchase a starter plant for faster results. You’ll want to plant them about a foot from where you’re garden vegetables will grow. These shrubs thrive in nutrient-rich soil with a good drainage system. It does best on partly-shaded slopes.
If you have huckleberry plants already growing in your garden but want more coverage, you can work to create more of a border around your vegetable garden using the clippings from existing plants. Fall is the perfect time to start dividing these plants so that you can create additional protection around your garden for the next season.
