Washing the Aphids away, Deterring the Ants

Aphids, also known as plant lice (and in Britain as greenflies), are small plant-eating insects, and members of the superfamily Aphidoidea.Aphids are among the most destructive insect pests on cultivated plants in temperate regions.The damage they do to plants has made them enemies of farmers and gardeners the world over!

The Brussels were beginning to show signs of aphid damage, so taking the advice of my friend and fellow gardener Garret, I washed them off of the leaves with good ol' Dr. Bronners peppermint soap. Garret claims to have utilized this defense tactic for years with loads of success, so we'll see!

The French Breakfast Radish are a few weeks old now and the are starting to mature. The ants love to burrow into them and feast. Not the biggest deal, but we want them to be beautiful and without ant tunnels throughout! My friend Truli recommended oats as a deterrent. The idea here is by lining your radish rows with oats the ants will eat the oats instead and leave your radishes alone!