Question
I am new to gardening, I live in Mesa Arizona and have a small pumpkin patch.  I have found that I have a lot of Aphids in my patch and am trying to keep them under control.  I have used home made soap spray and have also trimmed highly infested leaves.  But they just keep coming. is there anything else that I can do to get rid of these pests?  And will my pumpkin patch survive if I am unable to kill the aphids?

Thanks for your time.

Answer
Katie:
Aphids can be very hard to control once they get established. In addition to what you are doing you might try just a strong spray of water on the leaves every day. Perhaps follow that with your soap spray once or twice a week.

I have also read that foil under the plant "confuses" the aphids, but have yet to try it myself. I have one plant that gets badly attacked every year.

Your pumpkin will probably survive the attack, but when all the fruits have been harvested I would destroy the vine - don't compost it, burn it or bag it and get rid of it. Try planting a "trap crop" next year - aphids love nasturtiums and fava beans, to name just two possibilities.

Also, if ladybugs live in your area, try planting some flowers that will attract them. I don't know what does well in Arizona, but aromatic herbs such as dill and fennel, and yarrow are a few possibilities.

Elyse