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Garden Questions & Answers

© Keith Muraoka

Q. I don't do much gardening, but I do grow my own tomatoes, squash and cantaloupe. Last summer, aphids wiped out my melons. It was really bad. How to I avoid a repeat this summer?

A. You fight aphids anyway you can. Aphids are sucking insects and can damage small plants in a hurry. Left unchecked, an aphid population explosion can kill a plant (as you've already found out). Aphids are very prolific and difficult to control since they bear live young that are capable of doing damage immediately. One of the best remedies is to catch the infestation early. If the infestation is small, you can hose aphids off with a strong jet of plain water. For major infestations, turn to insecticidal soap, such as Safer's or use chemical insecticides. You can use insecticidal soaps every seven days for control. A tablespoon of liquid soap in a quart of water will do the trick most of the time. For heavier infestations, any chemical pesticide like Seven, malathion or diazinon canbe used. With any chemical insecticide, though, be aware that they not only cost more, but can be detrimental to the environment, humans and pets.

One side note to aphid infestations is that many home gardeners don't even realize they have a problem until they notice ants. Aphids secrete a sugary liquid called "honeydew" that ants really like. Ants sometimes "herd" aphids and actually protect them from predators because they're getting free food by milking the honeydew from aphids' bodies. Ants don't eat aphids, though. So, if you see an abundance of ants in the garden, you know that aphids are usually there, too.

Q. I have a raised flower bed that has rosemary growing on the outer edge. plants and flowers keep dying in the bed. I read somewhere that rosemary generates oils in the soil. Is this what's happening to what I plant there? If so, can I fix the soil? I would like some perennials with colorful seasonal flowers.

A. I'm not aware of any allelopathic (chemical warfare) traits in rosemary. We all know that rosemary smells great andis used as an herb in cooking. They are generally grown with other plants, especially in mixed herb beds. Perhaps the companion plants you've chosen for the ebd do not thrive in the full sunshine and dry soils that suit rosemary. Try growing heat-loving flowers, such as portulaca, salvia, artemisia, euphorbia, gaillardia, oenothera, marigold, zinnia, liatria and linium in the bed with rosemary.

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