A Solution For Aphids?

Aphids are notoriously hardy and frustrating to deal with. In this post, I talked a bit about how you have to more or less impotently deal with them... But a Hederasteader in the chat informed me of a spray that works without harming you or your plants!

Tomato leaves are high in alkaloids, which are toxic compounds. You can make a tea out of them to spray onto your other plants, which will not only kill and deter aphids, but also attract beneficial insects which prey on them.

Do we really need another reason to grow tomatoes?

Yes.

Here is the recipe:

Chop up 2 cups' worth of tomato leaf trimmings (this is a great use of those suckers you take off of indeterminates, more on that later). Boil 2 cups of water, and combine the two. Let sit overnight, strain, and put into the sprayer. Spray in the evening only, or very early morning.

Spray as soon as aphids appear, focusing on stems and underneath the leaves, as well as new leaves. May take more than one application.