Attack of the Aphids

Think your apartment balcony garden is pest-free because it's off the ground and isolated? Think again.

I was watering the plants, when I noticed that one of the little beet leaves looked fuzzy. Upon a closer inspection, I realized it wasn't green fur... it was covered in aphids.

Little green aphids. They look so small and harmless. Until they infest your garden and kill your plants slowly by sticking in their fangs and sucking out the life juices. I should have checked sooner; the nasturtium leaves (see photo) were looking strangely puckered (see most-left leaf) and yellow coloured (see most-right leaf).

How did they get here? My guess is that they rode in on another plant. Here's a creepy fact: each aphid can produce millions of babies, and aphids are born pregnant.

So at least one time in the morning and evening, I religiously inspect the plants and squish aphids with my fingers. From the You Grow Girl book, I've also tried a few other methods to keep them under control (also as seen in photo):

• making homemade yellow sticky traps -- not too effective; the sticky stuff (petroleum jelly, molasses) isn't too sticky and most of it drips off in a few days
• adding some foil to the plant base to confuse the aphids -- also doesn't seem to0 effective
• making citrus oil spray by steeping orange peels -- seems to kill aphids when sprayed directly

I'm actually finding the whole finding-and-squishing process sort of relaxing and meditative...though it probably also helps me accumulate bad karma. And I've been late for work everyday this week; you can really lose track of time doing all that killing.

May the best organism win.