Getting ready for garden pests.

I got some cold pressed neem oil and some Dr. Bronner's Sal Suds.  It's a little on the spendy side, but I saved up and got some decent sized bottles.  Come to find out it only takes about, I think, 2 teaspoons per gallon of water in a sprayer.  lol  I could have bought a smaller size.  Well, I have it, and it should last a while.  Apparently, neem oil is only bad for pests that like to eat plants. "Good" critters aren't hurt by it (bees, spiders, stc...) The Sal Suds is a mild soap that is basically (I assume) more of a wetting agent than anything else, but soap does tend to get rid of some pests on it's own, so it sounded like a good idea.

I got this because last year I had the worst case of squash bugs EVER!  I had no squash produce.  Not a one.  ZERO.  And I only got 1 pumpkin out of 4 vines I had (stealthily) planted across the road, and it was not a story worth telling, either.    I read up and found out that this combination of stuff is good for many things.  I learned from last year DON'T WAIT!  If you see 1 stinking squash bug, start that war here and now!  It's also good to stop and prevent powdery mildew, which I ALSO learned I need to get right on it when I see any of that nasty stuff starting.  I had a lot of trouble with that when I lived out in the desert.  From all I read it's actually common and a big problem in dry climates because of the way water is transmitted to the plants.  If you water the ground (soakers or something like that) under the surface (mulch or something) the mildew doesn't grow as well.  If the water sits on the plant or the ground right beneath it, it evaporates in heat and creates a thick and moist environment under the cover of the leaves for the spores to thrive.  Probably TMI.  lol  Sorry. 

Anyway, I ALSO have been studying what does and does not grow well together.  I'll be trying to implement that as much as I can.  My VERY limited space makes it difficult to put much distance between ANYTHING, though.  

Another thing I'm just now beginning to learn about is that the nature of the pest determines the problem with the planting environment.  I'm sure there are times of pest issues that are just cyclical, but apparently certain things can be determined in a normal cycle by the type of pests you're plants are attracting?  I'm speaking out of turn... don't know enough yet.  I was listening to a guy talk about apple trees, and he said that aphids in his trees indicated too much nitrogen, and if he fixed that problem the aphids dies back.  I don't know if that holds true to annuals or if it's just trees, or even just APPLE trees at this point, but it sounded logical, so that's my current obsession.  

The more I know the more I see I don't know. 

Happy spring, everybody... whenever it gets here. :]