Powdery mildew isn't like other plant diseases. It can be prevented from spreading by spraying the foliage down with plain water. PM propagules do not require free water in order to germinate, as other diseases do. Thus, we can simply keep those spores rinsed away. My advice to you is to give your plants a quick shower in the morning and use more pressure every few days to knock off a few aphids. At some point you should invest in some commercial insecticidal soap and some cold pressed neem. But I've not found the products essential to protecting plants from aphids or PM. Helpful, yes. Mastergardener, it is well documented that ants are very attracted to and will protect a population of any insect which will produce large amounts of sugary honeydew. Their defense of those insects (aphids and scale, most notably) is amply rewarded by honeydew produced in even larger amounts as incentive. Control of the aphids is usually all we need to do to discourage ants. Fortunately, the presence of ants in the garden simply means that the environment is a normal one. Some ant species require control....fire ants, for example. They can truly be harmful to plants, people, and pets. But most ant bait products are not labeled for use in the veggie garden so wr need to be careful about what we use and where.

utdeedee, This technique is called Companion Planting. It's not so much getting rid of pests, but deterring them. And also to attract beneficial insects that eat the pests we do not want. You can also look up Intercropping , here is a good place to start: Intercropping Principles and Production Practices. There is also an entire forum here at GW devoted to the topic: GardenWeb Companion Plants Forum Here is a link that might be useful: Lengthy List of Companion Plants

You can simply hose aphids off with a strong steam of water. Works well on most plants. Another common remedy is to spray the aphids with a mild soapy water spray - 1T of liquid soap in 1 gallon of water (never make it any stronger) and aim for the bugs rather than drenching the plant. Search 'aphid control' here for many other discussions on them. Dave

Aphids are the most common of rose pests and are usually green, reddish or brown in color.They feed on the sap of the tender new growth at the tips of the canes causing growth and flowers to be stunted. A hard spray of water from the hose will knock them off and often they will not be able to return to the plant. You can also remove them with your fingers by stroking the tips with your thrumb and forefinger. Ladybugs love to dine on aphids and can devour hundreds in a short time. If the infestation is really bad then the plant can be weakened and an insecticide spray will be needed. Because they are soft-bodied, insecticidal soap is ususally sufficient.