Gardening Question
 

I need an organic pesticide/insectide/keep the little fuckers off my new basil plants-icide. I've seen some online that you can order that use soap, and I've got a recipe for tobacco water but I can't use that on my tomatoes. Any recommendations? I'm totally brand-new to this, but I love my plants and haven't killed them yet. I'd rather not have a little bug kill them, either.

I've used some of the natural pesticides they sell at Home Depot and Lowe's with good results. I'd tell you the names of them, but I'm at work right now.

Here's what I do:

Take a spray bottle. Take 1/16 teaspoon liquid soap, put into spray bottle. Fill spray bottle with water, allowing suds to fall into sink.

After watering for the day, spray this mixture on each surface that you find the bugs. If they're on stems, spray all stems, if they're on tops of leaves, spray there. Bottoms of leaves? Spray there, but lightly since that's where the stomata are, which are pores that allow the plant to "breathe."

Do this daily for 3 days, stop for a day, see if they return.

Won't work on tomatoes since the leaves will shrivel. Plant a row of marigolds. Their fragrance repels many insects.

And dill weed. Marigolds and dill weed will repel most of those little buggers. I also used to make a disgusting spray mix of tobacco ash and onion. Spray that and watch them fly away.
You could also build a "bat house". Bats eat what eats our plants.

what kind of bugs? aphids?
if you have stinkbugs, potato beetles, or hornworms, you can hand pick them and drop them in soapy water, then crush eggs with your fingers (EW!). Be sure to look under the leaves.
Failing this, pyrethrins are an effective and organic solution to many pests. keep garden areas free of debris, never plant tomatoes in the same area 2 years in a row, and encourage beneficial insects like wasps, ladybugs, praying mantis...
Organic Pest and Weed Control is a good reference with pictures of the good bugs and the baddies.
good luck!

This won't help this year...but you can also buy pods of praying mantis and ladybug eggs. My dad used to buy them when we had roses.

I've tried the marigold one before. Found out skunks reallyreallyreally like them. Went through 2 rounds of planting before I caught them devouring the plants.

Get one of the Jerry Baker books. He has great stuff he makes up himself. I've used a liquid soap/vaggie oil mixture with water on many thing. Like 1/2 ounce of each in a gallon of water?

Okay!
I failed to mention that the tomatoes are in pots. :) Not if the Marigold Line will be a good defense in that case. I'm willing to try the soapy water.

Hmmm. Tomatoes in pots with insect problems... hmmmm. Honestly haven't come across that one.

Don't do soapy water on the tomatoes, their leaves will shrivel.

Grand Wormwood planted around the perimeter of a garden will keep most pests out. Putting a plant or two in pots near your tomatoes could help. It smells very green, I like the smell but others don't, so see if you can find a live plant at the local garden store.

I found that smearing vaseline on the stems acts as a trap for the little buggers. I also use vaseline to keep squirrels from scaling my bird feeder pole, and have smeared vaseline mixed with cayenne pepper on the upper corner bricks of my house to keep the little fucker racoons from trying to climb up.

It seems to work. Oh yes, I sometimes get little tiny ants in the kitchen, climbing into the cat's food dish. a smear of vaseline seems to have trapped them at this as well. Ahh such a wondertool. The duct tape of smeary substances. I'm current working on a more exciting usage of this substance, but my wife is a bit tentative...

Leto, it was like I KNEW where you were going to go with the Vaseline before you went there...
May I suggest Astro-Glide?
*end threadjack*

Us guys.... that's what makes us so endearing. We are so dependable (aka predictable). The girls love it. Really.