Lemon Thyme and Basil are natural insecticides. The Thyme can be planted in the pots around your plants. It's a low growing, spreading, ground cover that smells great. If you pinch the leaves, the whole area will smell like lemon. It can be planted around a patio or sitting area to keep away mosquitoes and flies as well.
My cousin uses Lemon Thyme as a ground cover around his Roses to keep Aphids away and it works great. In his garden, he plants Basil between each plant in the garden. He ends up with a ton of Basil at the end of the year to dry or freeze fresh and plenty of fresh Basil during the summer.
The Capsicum in the hot peppers works as a repellent too. If you mix a couple of teaspoons of Cheyenne powder in a spray bottle of water and spray the plants, the Aphids should go away. Just rinse your veggies really well before eating them, unless you like spicy salad.
Jerry Baker, my favorite organic gardener, recommends a spray of:
1 small onion chopped finely
2 medium cloves of garlic chopped finely
1 tbsp of baby shampoo
2 cups of water
Put it all in a blender and blend on high. Let it sit over night then strain through a coffee filter. Pour into a spray bottle and spray plants liberally.
I haven't used this recipe, but all of his recipes I've tried, work great. You can probably find his books 'Terrific Garden Tonics' and 'Backyard Problem Solvers' at the Library or order them online.
Jerry Baker, America's Master Gardener
Good luck.
..
.