Ridding aphids from Tomatoes?

I'd like to hear some good ideas for this. I don't have a whole lot of them, but there are some on them, and I don't want to hurt my tomato plants with something too viscious.

Spray them off with a stream of water (you can add soap too) from a Hudson type sprayer and then once dry spray (again with the Hudson) tops and bottoms of leaves with 1/4 diatomaceous earth in 1 gallon of water. Best if it is sunny because DE works when it is dried on the leaves.

We have had a big problem with ants this year and they raise aphids like cattle so sprinkle instant grits around the beds when they are dry (a non- watering day maybe?) and the ants will eat it and go kaboom.

Then come to my house and pick those darn green worms that are like finding a needle in a haystack!! Who's idea was it to make them the same green as the tomato plants anyways?!?!?! grrrr......

lol daisy, I have no idea why God did that, lol! I'm thinking about getting some preying manthis next year and letting them go at it - just need a quick fix for now. Thanks for the info! So the ants explode after eating grits? Do you cook them first or just set them out dry?

Well we don't dry our ants in these parts..... ; )

Just straight from the little package with the grits. Someone here turned me on to that trick and apprently they take them into the nest to eat them and they expand. Eventually, they will get the queen.

Daisy, have you tried the grits then, and it worked? If so, let Gardenwife know, on the Gardentalk forum, regarding Red Ants. She thinks it's an urban legend.

Okay- I will. I think that it does work to SOME extent but certainly not all. The beds where I have them the worst will get a good tilling this autumn to break up the beds.

Although some say that breaking up the beds stresses the nest and then they separate to form new ones.......but that could be an exterminators line.

aphids don't like shade or horse manure or banana peels

for ants try boric acid (from drugstore) and white sugar combined into a paste with water
About the consistency of peanut butter - put it in a jar top somewhere in the shade and leave it undistrubed.
1 to 3 days later you will have a swarm......all the ants will think they found manna and will get a bunch
and take it back to the queen. Won't see any ants much after that.....

Here in Florida we have quite a large ant problem. I have found through searching on the web that you can use a mixture of ivory hand soap with water. Very light mixture. Pour it in the ant mound and they will be gone. This may require two applications but it works. I love this solution because it doesn't require pesticides and it's very effective. Give it a try. Good luck.

BTW;
Don't use any soap with degreasers in it. The Brug forum had a very good thread with all sorts of home made insecticidal solutions with no chemicals.

Ivory bar soap? Dish soap? WHich one?

Sorry, I am having ants out the wazoooooo since I stopped using grits because 'someone' : ) said that was an urban myth. So I am desperate! My beds look like coffee grounds were poured on them.