You do know the Neem oil is not a poison that kills on contact? It works after ingestion, as a biodisrupter, interfering with the insects' processes, including ability to eat & procreate. It takes a little while to see results. It may be that the Neem was working fine and you just didn't give it enough time.
However it has to be ingested, so it works better against leaf eaters. The aphids are suckers not chewers, so they may not ingest enough just boring through.
Soapy water should work against the aphids. Or you can just squish them -- they are slow and stupid and just sit there and let you do that. I have a couple plants that get covered in aphids every spring. I just go over them with a tissue, squishing everything. That seems to take care of it, and they don't come back until the next spring.
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rainbowgardener
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InCaseOfZombies
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rainbowgardener wrote:You do know the Neem oil is not a poison that kills on contact? It works after ingestion, as a biodisrupter, interfering with the insects' processes, including ability to eat & procreate. It takes a little while to see results. It may be that the Neem was working fine and you just didn't give it enough time.
However it has to be ingested, so it works better against leaf eaters. The aphids are suckers not chewers, so they may not ingest enough just boring through.
Soapy water should work against the aphids. Or you can just squish them -- they are slow and stupid and just sit there and let you do that. I have a couple plants that get covered in aphids every spring. I just go over them with a tissue, squishing everything. That seems to take care of it, and they don't come back until the next spring.
I used it for a week straight before I resorted to chems. Guess you are right, the aphids are suckers they don't eat the leaves.
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InCaseOfZombies
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Here's a quick update!
The whole garden
The brandywine has tripled in size!
Up close shot of Brandywine Flowering:
The Early Girl being trained up 5 stakes:
And up close:
Chard has already been harvested 2 times. So delicious:
Eggplant has started to bud. You can also see what's left of the Romaine off to the right:
Strawberries. I wish I had more space to plant more! 1 treat a week is too much of a tease:
Zucchini:
This herb garden is the most recent addition. Apple Mint, Regular Basil, Boxwood Basil, Sage and German Thyme:
How does it look?
The whole garden
The brandywine has tripled in size!
Up close shot of Brandywine Flowering:
The Early Girl being trained up 5 stakes:
And up close:
Chard has already been harvested 2 times. So delicious:
Eggplant has started to bud. You can also see what's left of the Romaine off to the right:
Strawberries. I wish I had more space to plant more! 1 treat a week is too much of a tease:
Zucchini:
This herb garden is the most recent addition. Apple Mint, Regular Basil, Boxwood Basil, Sage and German Thyme:
How does it look?
Everything looks great! Is that the zucchini to the left of the romaine? Or the eggplant? (I must be goin blind.) I was wondering if I could put squash in a pot...now I know! 
I love how we all learn from each other here!
Betcha can't wait to eat those brandywines!!!
The romaine is getting tall because it is beginning to bolt and will flower soon. Do you plan to collect seed from it?
Sure, you may have spent more money on the initial investment of the pots, soil, ferts, etc, than you will save the first year, but that is typical of any first year garden. You'll be able to use all that stuff for several years to come with only a small investment to amend the soil and buy new fert. Besides, there are few hobbies as rewarding as gardening and the benefits you reap are much larger than the harvest ever will be.
I love how we all learn from each other here!Betcha can't wait to eat those brandywines!!!
The romaine is getting tall because it is beginning to bolt and will flower soon. Do you plan to collect seed from it?Sure, you may have spent more money on the initial investment of the pots, soil, ferts, etc, than you will save the first year, but that is typical of any first year garden. You'll be able to use all that stuff for several years to come with only a small investment to amend the soil and buy new fert. Besides, there are few hobbies as rewarding as gardening and the benefits you reap are much larger than the harvest ever will be.
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InCaseOfZombies
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You guys are all correct. The initial investment cost me about $200. I did not start this project as a means to save money. Truthfully it was a combination of watching The Walking Dead and Doomsday Preppers that got me wondering about what would happen if there was some kind of a disaster (see my username)? I live in the city. All the supermarkets would be empty in a week. Not owning a home or having any kind of land to cultivate I was curious if I really could survive on my own. Granted the plants I have right now will not produce enough food to keep me alive for long but I wanted to see if it was even possible to grow food in such a small space. This was mostly an experiment and also a hobby. I work in the high-stress industries of real estate and finance. Watering the plants "in my garden" is remarkably good therapy and helps me get my mind off things. 
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InCaseOfZombies
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Dillbert wrote:how does that look? spectacular - nice work!
ref
"The brandywine has tripled in size!"
some dude in a shark movie said it best when it comes to Brandywines....
"You're gonna need a bigger boat . . . "
mine routinely go to 5-6 high & 6-8 feet in diameter.
pruners,,,, pruners are your friend (g)
I was told not to remove the suckers on this particular variety of tomato. The early girl however does not have any suckers. They have all been pinched. I'm glad you are experienced with this variety....please give me any tips or suggestions. Thanks!
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InCaseOfZombies
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sepeters wrote:Everything looks great! Is that the zucchini to the left of the romaine? Or the eggplant? (I must be goin blind.) I was wondering if I could put squash in a pot...now I know!
Betcha can't wait to eat those brandywines!!!
Sure, you may have spent more money on the initial investment of the pots, soil, ferts, etc, than you will save the first year, but that is typical of any first year garden. You'll be able to use all that stuff for several years to come with only a small investment to amend the soil and buy new fert. Besides, there are few hobbies as rewarding as gardening and the benefits you reap are much larger than the harvest ever will be.
Yes. I am going to attempt to harvest seeds from everything I grow if possible. I've never done it before though. Any tips? Th anks.
>>removing suckers
everybody has a theory on this one. I've never seen any definitive "proof" one way or the other that removing / leaving suckers does "X"
I've grown Brandywines since the '70's - most years they go gangbusters; now and then they don't - likely more weather related during fruit set than anything else.
I don't pinch out the suckers on any of my tomato plants - because I'm too lazy and I always have more tomatoes than I can eat . . . .
frequently a tomato will send off a limb in the bad / wrong / inconvenient direction - which I promptly prune off. but that's all they get in terms of 'artificial' management.
>>saving seeds
I didn't take note earlier - but if you're growing hybrid varieties, seeds won't come true - making that exercise not so valuable.
everybody has a theory on this one. I've never seen any definitive "proof" one way or the other that removing / leaving suckers does "X"
I've grown Brandywines since the '70's - most years they go gangbusters; now and then they don't - likely more weather related during fruit set than anything else.
I don't pinch out the suckers on any of my tomato plants - because I'm too lazy and I always have more tomatoes than I can eat . . . .
frequently a tomato will send off a limb in the bad / wrong / inconvenient direction - which I promptly prune off. but that's all they get in terms of 'artificial' management.
>>saving seeds
I didn't take note earlier - but if you're growing hybrid varieties, seeds won't come true - making that exercise not so valuable.
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applestar
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Watching the garden you personally tended grow, and harvesting the fruits of your labor?
...Priceless.
looking absolutely fabulous.
Look UP. Picture hanging baskets of strawberry plants....
(You may have to put mirrors on the ceiling of your balcony to increase reflected light....
)
...Priceless.
looking absolutely fabulous.
I loved that comment.Strawberries. I wish I had more space to plant more! 1 treat a week is too much of a tease:
Look UP. Picture hanging baskets of strawberry plants....
(You may have to put mirrors on the ceiling of your balcony to increase reflected light....
)Collecting seeds is one of the things I find most fulfilling about gardening. Cradle to grave, in the best, most sustainable way. You'll be feeling very self sufficient when you harvest your first set of home grown seeds!
Some seeds will be very easy to collect and you won't really need directions for stuff like the eggplant, peppers, squash, etc.
Collecting tomato seeds is a little different, and kinda gross. You scoop out the seeds and save them in a container til they get a little moldy, then rinse and dry them. There's some really good directions for that in the tomato forum.
The lettuce will be a little different too, but not gross or moldy, lol. They will continue to get taller and grow leaves on the central stalk (at this point the lettuce will be bitter, you may not want to eat it) then it will produce lots of little yellow flowers. The flowers will eventually close and drop the petals and then (finally) after a few more days you will see little white wisps (just like dandelions) poking out. At this point you want to start clipping off the flowers that look wispy on an individual basis, or they will blow away in the breeze. Separate the seeds from the chaff (I just roll them gently between my thumb and forefinger til the little brown seeds fall away), save and label the seeds, discard the chaff. And now you have seeds to plant in late summer for a fall bumper crop of lettuce.
Some seeds will be very easy to collect and you won't really need directions for stuff like the eggplant, peppers, squash, etc.
Collecting tomato seeds is a little different, and kinda gross. You scoop out the seeds and save them in a container til they get a little moldy, then rinse and dry them. There's some really good directions for that in the tomato forum.
The lettuce will be a little different too, but not gross or moldy, lol. They will continue to get taller and grow leaves on the central stalk (at this point the lettuce will be bitter, you may not want to eat it) then it will produce lots of little yellow flowers. The flowers will eventually close and drop the petals and then (finally) after a few more days you will see little white wisps (just like dandelions) poking out. At this point you want to start clipping off the flowers that look wispy on an individual basis, or they will blow away in the breeze. Separate the seeds from the chaff (I just roll them gently between my thumb and forefinger til the little brown seeds fall away), save and label the seeds, discard the chaff. And now you have seeds to plant in late summer for a fall bumper crop of lettuce.
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ReptileAddiction
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InCaseOfZombies
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