Others will certainly chime in with good advice for you, but I'd say first off to stop spraying. Getting your plants wet every day can do more damage than any pests you might end up with. (can invite mildews to infect the leaves)

Just let things grow and see if anything starts eating them faster than you can. Hand picking is the most effective way to deal with a lot of pests. (the larger ones -- not aphids) If you do end up with aphids on your plants doing damage, then folks usually recommend spraying them off with a garden hose every so often.

I find that just leaving things alone for the most part, hand picking the bigger bugs when I feel like it (be sure it's a pest and not a beneficial!!) and being willing to soak my broccoli in salt water before eating it (to drive out the cabbage worms), I never have to spray with anything.

Your garden looks gorgeous, by the way!!
Especially since mine in under a LOT of snow :)

I agree with elisa. Except for thrips on gladiolus, corn root worm beetles on #7 planting of sweet corn, flea beetles on eggplant, some worms on fall broccoli and cauliflower and perhaps squash bugs on pumpkins, I think that most garden crops are fine without spraying..

Good advice will be specific to your locale. Speaking from my locale, aphids are a fact of life. I spray them with water and roll my thumb over them. Distorted leaves get harvested first. I don't spray any thing other than water as even soap kills indiscriminately. I'm after balance in my garden, not pest annihilation.

This post was edited by mrclint on Sat, Feb 1, 14 at 22:27

I should have added a picture to my post. Here's one of my 4'x4' beds planted with arugula --using square foot gardening techniques.

Aphids don't crawl in and out of soil. They live on, and feed on, plants.

You can locate your county's Extension Service office with this map:
http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/

Here is a link that might be useful: locate your county's Extension Service office