I've never had an aphid infestation so severe that they've started killing my plants. Though I suspect that the once or twice I've come close I started pulling them off by hand and killing them.
Rain is pretty good at keeping aphids in check so spraying with a hose with a little pressure couldn't hurt.
I don't think this would work well for Texas in the summer but I've purchased a bag of ladybugs for my greenhouse before to help with aphids (and boy did that work well ).
I linked this to you elsewhere, but I really like Eight spray. I don't think it's an "organic" product, but you can use it on a number of plants including edible ones. It works really well too.
If DiGs sees this he might be able to give you some good tips from his book.

By the way, I don't know if anyone would be interested in this or not, but one of my latest projects is writing a monthly article on Gardening from a Christian perspective. Here's my first one.
http://www.gospelcrier.org/from-the-garden/

We finally got a belated vegetable garden planted! My cousin gave us their extra tomato plants (seven in all- one had the top broke off, but it seems to be doing alright)... and we bought cucumber and zucchini seeds. We plan on spacing out the cucumber planting so they don't all pop up at once, but they started spouting today The Zukes are getting close too apparently, Dad says he can see the ground cracking where they'll pop through... We put some fence rings around the plants to keep the deer out, and it's a good thing because their tracks are everywhere. I just have to worry about the tomato hornworms- I don't like using pesticides, so I'm gonna keep my eye out for bugs and eggs, and pull them off as I go. Sad part is I don't like raw tomatoes, raw cucumbers, or raw zucchini Fortunately my parents do, and I guess I can make zucchini bread, but that's all that would grow before the frost comes.

It's been hot out, but it's raining hard now, I just hope the seedlings will be alright.

Hurrah for veggie gardens, wolf! All the best with the challenges they bring ... and the joys! Keep us posted.

Oh, and on the subject of Marigolds, I planted them around the outside of my garden one year in the hopes of deterring rabbits from eating my plants. I stood outside and watched a bunny go from marigold to marigold and eat the leaves.

Gotta love bunnies. We've had even more around lately now that Mr. and Mrs. Neighbourhood Fox are staying closer at home with their cubs. We regularly see rabbits stretching up to nibble leaves off any number of plants (floral, mainly: I haven't actually seen them in the veggie garden at all, yay!). And they do it in plain sight! You'd think they'd be more secretive when they know we're keeping our eyes on them. Thankfully, the plants are very hardy and don't seem to be bothered by those nibbling bunnies.

Good to read your update, fk! Ooh, your parents have an apricot tree! *loves apricots* Verrrry interesting reading about your continuing bee adventures. What amazing insects! And that's really cool about your gardening column! I look forward to following this. 'Tis well-written and thought-ful.

Were you able to get control of those aphids, kat?

Bella, how are things going for your garden? Are the tomatoes doing better?

Our veggie garden is doing very well. The radishes are pretty much ready to be picked, and there are hundreds of blossoms on both beans and peas. My small pepper plant that doesn't seem to be growing (but looks very green and healthy otherwise) has sprouted a small, lush pepper. I don't know but what it might just be a miniature plant. It's a curious thing. And we've picked one cuc already and see more growing.

We really need rain, so I'm watering all the gardens every evening with the hose. I much prefer the natural route, which is forecast to drop plentifully from the sky tomorrow. Hoping this holds true!

Oh, and on the subject of Marigolds, I planted them around the outside of my garden one year in the hopes of deterring rabbits from eating my plants. I stood outside and watched a bunny go from marigold to marigold and eat the leaves.

Gotta love bunnies. We've had even more around lately now that Mr. and Mrs. Neighbourhood Fox are staying closer at home with their cubs. We regularly see rabbits stretching up to nibble leaves off any number of plants (floral, mainly: I haven't actually seen them in the veggie garden at all, yay!).

Alas if only I were so lucky... I'd be willing to sacrifice some of my veggies if the little critters would show up again Then again Fluffy's enough trouble as it is.

Veggies are doing marvelously, tomorrow evening, though, I'll have to go up and weed them as the weeds are coming on. Cukes and zukes are about an inch or 2 off the ground, with decent leaves. Tomatoes are as green as ever and are starting to flower... one is even forming small fruits. I'm not sure what kinds of tomatoes they are, but the plants themselves are only a foot to a half a foot high. One of our zucchini's has failed to come up... and something appears to have stepped on a cucumber plant, but the broken tomato plant seems to be making a nice recovery.

My mother's flower garden is not so lucky It's over run with weeds and ants... and the heat has dried them up, though many are salvageable, I'll have to make a point to water them tomorrow because everyone else doesn't

My dad and I are thinking of growing and cutting our own timothy hay next year... because 5-7 dollars for a bag that lasts only a few weeks is just too much, but Quorra and Fluffy (especially Fluffy) need it. So I'm definately gonna read up on the subject. Anyone on NW ever cut their own hay?

Veggies are doing marvelously,

Yay! (And no, I have never cut my own hay.)

Our pea and bean blossoms are now producing harvest. We even ate some not-quite-ready beans yesterday, which were delicious. Can't let them grow too big, though, otherwise they get tough. Same with the cucs: if they outgrow themselves, they're ickily bitter. We had our first fresh cuc the other day - YUM! So sweet.

The tomatoes: one plant is doing very, very well (Jet Star); two others (grape tomatoes) are meh-okay; one is struggling (Brandywine).

I have to get out there before the humidity hits on Wednesday and go crazy picking the radishes. I only got 1/3 of the row thinned out early on, so they're rather overcrowded, to say the least.

The pepper plant is still small (and very cute), and the one pepper on it seems to be growing, so we were laughing yesterday, saying that what if the pepper grows to its usual large size, but the plant stays tiny. Could be an interesting scenario.

The marigolds are looking healthy and bright, dotted in amongst the rows of veggies.

We had a strong thunderstorm on Saturday morning, which soaked the grounds, but was not enough to make up for the lack of precipitation lately. Still, thankful for some wetness.

Woohoo, I picked our first (mostly ripe) Jet Star tomato yesterday, and also a small grape tomato, which was succulently sweet. More to come of each. The beans are nearly ready, and the peas are filling out nicely. We have picked and eaten some of both already, right then and there. Soooooo good! A cucumber is ripening every few days now, and we gobble those down too. The one lonely pepper is growing, but still the plant seems to have stagnated. It's like a Charlie Brown pepper plant. We'll see what happens come August with the dear little thing.

A full harvest is yet to come, but things are well on their way.

One black-eyed Susan plant is spectacular; the other hasn't bloomed yet, although there are dozens of buds, and is a smaller version of our larger plant. Both are so cheery and pretty. Most of the sunflowers have grown tall (although a few have been attacked by squirrels ), but they are not in bloom yet ... give them another couple of weeks, if that. I'll have to take pictures when they explode in beauty.

Given the pitiful lack of precipitation this summer, the gardens are doing remarkably well. Of course, I've been almost obsessively faithful in watering them in the cool of each evening.

How are others' gardens faring?

With the exception of my tomatoes and bell peppers it appears that my attempts at gardening have been...fruitless. *rimshot* The squash died quickly and without warning...the tomatoes are still up and kicking but not producing much. Pity.

I do not have a green thumb.

I skipped a few days of picking stuff in my garden. That may have been a mistake.....

Had to keep coming back inside for more containers. I foresee a lot of canning and pickling in my very near future. Will probably make Eggplant Parmesan as well.

Sorry SL

Well we awoke today to the beginnings of a crisis in our garden.

Our cucumbers are getting attacked by bugs I think... and that's the "good" news.

Through out the course of the day a ground hog has eaten the leaves off of every one of our Zucchini plants... but that's not the worst of it. I think one of our tomato plants has come down with blight... I know it's hit downstate

Well hopefully we'll manage a few cukes... we still have lots of seeds.

I don't know how your weather is doing up there wolf, but if it's anything like the weather here, I wouldn't be surprised at all that your garden is getting munched. We've carried over the drought conditions that we had last summer and so there's not a lot to eat around here besides well watered plants and gardens. Rabbits have been showing up in my garden again which means their desperate cause if Fiona goes out there she runs them off.

Do you try to garden organically? If not, check out Bonide's Eight spray. It works wonders on deterring bugs from eating your cucumbers and squash.

And as far as the tomatoes are concerned, you can trim off the really blighted leaves and stems and that will slow down the blight from taking over the remaining healthy plant. Also when you water, be sure to water only the base of the plant. Spraying the leaves will spread the contaminant to the rest of the plant or other nearby plants as well.

Speaking of tomatoes, I'm hoping to compile all of my tomatoes, the farm tomatoes, and my parents tomatoes tomorrow, and my parents and I are going to can them. I love canning tomatoes cause then you don't have to buy them from the store and they taste sooooo much better.

fantasia, I love that photo of your produce ^. Beautiful! I don't think I have ever tried an eggplant. Does one eat them plain, or more in a casserole dish? Are they bland or tasty?

Oh my, wolf. Any better success since you last posted?

Speaking of tomatoes, I'm hoping to compile all of my tomatoes, the farm tomatoes, and my parents tomatoes tomorrow, and my parents and I are going to can them. I love canning tomatoes cause then you don't have to buy them from the store and they taste sooooo much better.

Yes! I can't believe the world of difference between our garden tomatoes (we've been eating our Jet Stars regularly) and store-bought ones. No comparison!

From having heard elsewhere, I'm glad your canning turned out poppingly well, fk!

We are picking beans every few days now, and have so many that some actually made it to the pot last Sunday (instead of right from the plant to our mouths ). Wow, soooo delicious! The peas, however, are still way too fantastic to cook, so we de-pod them and wolf 'em down (pardon the expression, wolfy ). Sadly, I didn't thin my radishes enough, so they haven't grown properly. I'm guessing that's the issue, anyway. The tops, though, look very pretty.

We had that one lonely pepper growing, and it finally fell off by itself. When I picked it up, I realized it was partly rotten on the bottom. Still, the top 3/4 feels firm, so I'll cut it up later today. However, it's only the size of a small apple, and my pepper plant, itself, still isn't growing very much. I just might have purchased a dud. We'll see what August brings.

My grape tomatoes are beginning to ripen, and after having tried one the other day, I must say I do enjoy cherry tomatoes a fair bit more. Sadly, my cherry tomato plant died a few weeks ago, so next summer I am determined to have it survive.

My floral plants and perennials are doing quite well: very colourful. Some of the sunflowers are exceedingly tall (8-9') and getting ready to open within 1-2 weeks, I would imagine. At that point, the squirrels will descend, as will the nuthatches and finches, who like to hang upside down to nab the seeds. So cute.

Since this is the first year I've begun a perennial garden, I'm taking note of the parts that are too blank and need filling in a bit next year. I think I mentioned earlier that one of our black-eyed Susan plants has really large blooms; the other quite small blooms. Of the two, I prefer the former. It's simply glorious and so cheery! Our daisy has not grown as I had hoped, and hope this is just because it's the first year. I'd like to see it take off next year. *fingers crossed* Our zinnias are flourishing, but I planted curly parsley too close to them, so the poor parsley (which I use to decorate deviled eggs and cooked carrots, in particular) is having a few troubles. I've made a note to put it in a much more open place next year.

Bella, how is your garden doing?

Well the ground hog moved onto cucumbers... there's very little left. At least the other tomatoes are looking healthier that the sick one...

We are currently having a major slug problem in our garden, more info to come.

Bella, how is your garden doing?

Aw, thanks for asking, Jo!

Well... since when I last posted, I could ramble and ramble and say of all my troubles gardening and all the delights gardening and all the heat and rain and heat and rain my plants endured, but I'll think of a condensed version. I should have some pictures and I'll come with them later, but since when I last posted...the garden was interesting. It was not, not, not what I expeted (I seriously overestimated everything), but it was enough to encourage me to continue gardening forever. I'm glad I started at least for one year. I dug the ground some more and that's all I'm doing this year. The cayenne peppers were good, and the jalapenos, too. I got one or two red cayennes, but picked them green for the most part. It was nice for my family to ask, "Do you have some peppers?" while cooking, and then I'd go out and see. The jalapenos didn't grow large. I think the stuff I put in the ground had too many plants in it, so some things didn't grow as large. I had 2 tomatoes - one I twisted of when it was green, and one fell and the plant proceeded dying.. :S They both turned red and we ate one, but it was small and awfully sad. The herbs did great. Our mint plant is growing such beaaautiful, large leaves. And so fast, too! They had some awful dots all over them, so I took out those leaves, and thank God, the plants are okay. The basil was good. I replanted some more basil and dill, but it's a bit slow. I suspect due to too many seeds.
The tomatoes were such a disappointment. I looked at that catalog and with all those beautiful pictures, I could just taste my garden tomatoes! I think I have some ideas of what I did wrong. Hopefully next year will be better. I'm guessing the first problem was bad timing and also, too much stress on the plants due to inconsistent watering.
The one thing that delighted me - I had all but given up on my eggplant plant and kind of just let it sit there. I saw some flowers on it, but really wasn't expecting anything. Lo and behold, a few days later, I lifted a large leaf and behind it was the most adorable egg-sized eggplant. It's so cute. It's growing right now and is such a lovely, rich purple. I hope nothing gets to it and we can enjoy one fruit from my garden. But, anyways, interesting gardening year! I'm thinking of putting some cauliflower, peas, and spinach in the ground sometime for a fall garden. We'll see how that goes. I'm rather worried about bugs getting in my spinach - what can I do to prevent this?

How are your respective slug/small animal/blight issues, wolf and Wolf?

Yay, Bella's returned! Oh yes, I'd love to see some pics when you can.

but it was enough to encourage me to continue gardening forever.

Me too! I had to do without a veggie garden for a couple of years, and did not realize how much I would miss it. Talk about enjoyable and very satisfying, pleasurable work!

Our mint plant is growing such beaaautiful, large leaves. And so fast, too!

We used to have mint, but it just started taking over everything else, so I cut it back, yet it was relentless. So I finally gave up and put it all in the compost. Maybe someday again, because it does have such a pretty scent.

I have never tried growing spinach, Bella, even though I love it, so I can't help you there.

So fun to hear about your eggplant! Isn't it great when unexpected gardening surprises happen? As I wrote ^, a similar thing occurred with my pepper plant, and now, sure enough, come August it's growing more, with blossoms blooming, and even wee baby peppers, which are just adorable. I remember affectionately teasing fantasia once (because I feel the same way) when she mentioned how cute small plants are, and said we should all have t-shirts that state emphatically "We love cute plants!"

The tomatoes were such a disappointment. ... too much stress on the plants due to inconsistent watering.

Sorry to hear that, especially when you were really looking forward to that amazing garden tomato taste. But, yes, live and learn, as I had to do with my radishes this year when I forgot to thin them and most of them just did not develop properly, and tasted really wooden, blech. From my experience, tomatoes do need consistent watering (without overdoing it—sometimes a fine line). Speaking of mouth-watering, sweet, fresh tastes, I'd like to try a row or two of carrots next year.

I wish I could send you some of my tomatoes, Bella: we are overloaded both with the larger Jet Star and the grape variety. Before my Brandywine plant died *sniff* it managed to produce a few small, but succulent, fruit, and I have never tasted such a delectable tomato. Cherry 'toms' come close, but, wow, these are stronger, quite pungent, and so yummy! I am determined to ensure a Brandywine survives next year. (And I quite like the name. )

I heard tell fantasia is working with her massive amounts of tomatoes today, and hope that goes well, fk. It's such fun work, especially when others pitch in and help. And then you can enjoy the fruit of your labours for months to come.

Our peas are mostly done; our beans are slowing down; our cucs are delicious, but the plant isn't as prolific as I had hoped, giving us one maybe every week and a half. Soooo taaaaasty, though!

The flower gardens are doing beautifully. Even plants people had given me over the winter that were looking weary inside have bounded to beauty outside over the weeks and flourished. Love when a bit of green-thumb TLC helps in this way.

And here is a link to my gardening FB photo page.

The last 35 or 40 I added yesterday, and the final two are of a hummingbird, which spent a good ten minutes drinking from our zinnias yesterday. Very beautiful! Oh yes, and the pic before the hummingbird shows a close-up of the pepper blossoms and the wee babies too.