How to Kill Aphids

When I started this perfect little garden of mine, I never though that my plants would have pests. My stomach sank when I saw the greedy little green aphids on my lettuce. I panic every time I see a microscopic orange mite crawling in the dirt. I hunt those tiny fly-like bugs that cling to my tomato leaves and squash them out of fear.

I have never seen so many bugs! I knew that aphids were bad news and I found an easy organic solution, thankfully. But there are so many others and I have read online that some pests are beneficial. Its confusing and I need to know how to handle my garden correctly.

To kill the aphids, I tried this little recipe on my lettuce:

• 3-5 drops of a mild, fragrance free, liquid dish soap
• 1/2 teaspoon of cooking oil
• Fill the rest of a water spray bottle with water. I used a cheap small 12 oz bottle.

Shake it up and spray a stream of the liquid on your plants. It worked like a charm for me. They fell off the leaves and I haven't seen them since. Please understand that I have only used this method for a couple weeks...my methods may not be full proof, but it is working so far.

And the best part is my lettuce still tastes great after a quick rinse.