I use a dual approach. I initially used a hard stream of water to spray down the plants every day or two and I released beneficials into the garden 10 or so years ago. The beneficials have really taken off and now it is rare to see an infestation (I think the last time I saw aphids were 2 or 3 years ago??). The downside is that it takes time to get the beneficial population high enough to make a difference and, in the mean time, you have to spray your plants down with water or else your plants get eaten as you cannot use pesticides. However, once you get a population of beneficials started, they tend to be self-perpetuating and their population will rise and fall within a few weeks of the pest's population. I currently have a garden full of Praying Mantis, Ladybugs and an occasional Green Lacewing - a new batch of Praying Mantis appear to have hatched within the past month or so.
I personally did not find that soapy water worked any better than the plain water but I know many people who swear by the soap. Because I live in Southern California and I have to water every day or so due to our lack of rain over the summer and fall, it wasn't any additional work to spray down the plants.
Oh - and Hi, Deb! I am so glad that you found us!
