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A soap spray can be very effective against aphids... I've used one several times for that purpose with great results. You can use any mild liquid soap (such as baby shampoo or mild dish washing liquid) but an insecticidal soap such as Safers is less likely to damage the foliage. It does not take much soap, no more than a teaspoon per quart of water. If you use other soaps, it is best to rinse the plants off with a spray after they have done their work (about 10-15 minutes later). Be sure to spray beneath the leaf canopy as much as possible.
But before spraying any contact killer (organic or otherwise) I would recommend inspecting the plants for beneficial insects or their larvae, which may already have begun feeding on the aphids. If those are present, all you may need is a little patience, and they may reduce the aphid population to tolerable levels within a few weeks. I have a good native population of predators in my area, and most years - if not interfered with - they control the aphids on their own. It is worth keeping in mind that aphid predators multiply much more slowly than the aphids do; so if you kill them accidentally, they may not return... but the aphids, now free of natural predators, will.
You should also be aware that if the aphids are being farmed by ants, it might be necessary to get rid of the ants to prevent them from re-infesting the plants with new aphids. Since ants perform beneficial functions, I only take action against them if the aphids they carry begin to spread disease from plant to plant.


My bet is what you're calling "last frost date" is really the "average frost date". Depending on who does the calculating, it really only means from a 50-80% chance of no more frosts. I'm also 5b, and our average date (50%) is May 5, (80%) on May 18, but the true "last frost date" recorded isn't until June 7.
General knowledge here says warm season planting after Mothers Day. This year we had 8" of snow and down to 26 that Monday.

The only need for conditioning, it seems, is to get it through any hot decomposition phase before putting plants in it that you don't want to cook. Just wet it and monitor the temps. It's not a fad and can work well, just think of it as container planting. Very messy container planting...

I personally have not, but I have friends who live in the "not quite gentrified" parts of Atlanta where they have had rose bushes, Mums, Hostas, Veggies and even a porch swing stolen. Basically any flower planted at the mail box would be pulled and stolen within a few days.

Yeah it is 'romaine' here but usually the 'cos' is included in the name or label in some way so I think many know what you mean. :) And yes, I have had aphid issues with it as they love any high nitrogen fertilizers like often used on leafy greens. I just wash them off the plants with the hose a couple of days in a row and cut back on the feedings. They seem to especially love my red leaf varieties.
Dave



Can't say without seeing them but Google images of 'leaf edema potato leaves' and see if it matches.
Dave

I have seen edema on another plant before, so that was my first thought. This does look like the photos I found, although most of the "warts" were on the underside of the leaves and these are on top. But this happened overnight to almost all the leaves on 10 different plants. It's shocking. In the other case I saw, a houseplant, the leaves were ruined but the plant was fine. I hope the same happens here.

As Dave said, "But all the wood chip mulch right up against the plant stems doesn't bode well for the future." Is that mulch or did you mix that into your clay soil to amend it? In either case it can rob your soil of nitrogen. And touching the base of the plant can cause disease.


Fish emulsion is one of, if not the most benign supplements out there and it is honestly almost impossible to overdose with it (unless perhaps you used it daily). Not only is it a low dosage of the primary nutrients but it is in a form that encourages a slow and only-as-needed absorption by the plants. Plus it has the advantage of multiple levels of dilution. As many of the past discussions here about it show, many gardeners use it diluted to 1/4 strength each time they water plants or 1/2 strength every 10-14 days.
Lots of discussions about using fish emulsion
On the tomato growing forums it is often recommended as a foliar spray as well as a root drench with no concerns. So unlike many of the mass market synthetics used to excess by so many, fish emulsion has few if any negative side effects (other than odor).
Dave







Sometimes cukes will be only partially pollenated which results in mutant cukes, nothing to be concerned about as more good ones will come.
All looks good. I agree with them being easier to manage in ground (that stuff right below the pots!)