Q: I need advice on how to keep an organic vegetable garden and survive the multitude of pests that make waste of my attempts.

A: Helping plants resist disease and insects rather than automatically reaching for the spray bottle should be every gardener’s goal. Your first task is to be sure the garden is in full sunshine. After that, amend your soil so it drains quickly but retains a moderate amount of moisture after a rain. The third task is to develop your ability to identify diseases and insects (particularly beneficial insects) in your garden. Another rarely discussed option is to help your plants fight disease by spraying them with aspirin water. In appropriate doses, aspirin water causes a plant to thicken its cell walls and resist bacteria and fungi. I have the research on which this advice is based at bit.ly/plantaspirin.