The Black Plague

Have your okra plants ever gotten black aphids? Last summer ours were literally covered. We've always tried to garden with as little chemical-presence as possible, so to protect our future okra harvest, my husband got something (supposedly environmentally friendly) to spray the plants. He sprayed the little buggies, but it turns out this "environmentally friendly" concoction not only takes care of aphids, but in the process it harms . . . no. . . it obliterates the leaves too. It pretty much killed all new and old leaf growth and we were left with black, shriveled leaves, and eventually sad, naked stems. A few of the plants did manage to bounce back but hardly enough to even bother picking. This year we didn't even plant okra, and it's the squash which has been invaded by some sort of creepy, smelly creature that literally mulitplies overnight. In the beginning we tried the environmentally gentle tactic of killing the bugs one at a time. Then the more agressive tactic of removing the infected leaves. All to no avail. Yesterday the plants were overcome with millions of the creatures. I fought the bugs and the bugs won. I'm beginning to wonder if organic gardening is for the birds. Maybe it's responsible for soaring gas prices, Enron, or quite possibly even the break-up of Brad and Jennifer. We have certainly done our part to protect the environment and to assure the continued survival of a variety of species of insects, parasites, fungi, and many 4 legged mammals (one of which is our dog who eats the stalks of my sunflowers.) I am almost ready to pull out the napalm.