Gardening for beginers, how can i protect my new veg patch from the bugs, in a safe way as i have young kids?

beer pot for the slugs, broken egg shells or orange peel for the cats, plant marigolds to stop the whitefly, and nasturnums (both of which can be used in salads ) as well, regular hoeing will defeat most weeds . A lot of bugs are actually quite good for the garden. If you tie a bundle of reeds or bamboo canes together you can make a home for ladybirds which are great for eating greenfly. There are a lot of natural methods you can use but you will never eradicate all the bugs and as I have said some are very good for the garden.