Was so happy to see my sad, under-soiled tomato plant putting out flowers, but it's also attracted aphids! I'm too poor to even afford pesticides, and was planning on growing organic anyways, but I'm not getting any help with pest predators from the surrounding apartment environment (cropped lawn grass and dandelions)
How do I attract natural predators of plant pests, like hoverflies, parasitoid wasps, ladybeedles and others without just buying a pack from a store? I want to engage in the war on bugs on the side of bugs, but the bugs that eat the bugs that eat my plants, for essentially a budget of $0. How the hell am I supposed to do this...
Oh and if anyone's wondering, I bought these plants from the farmer's market on EBT because they were cheap but I can't buy any dirt or bigger pots. So I'm working with the best I got until I get a job and a paycheck
I have a bunch of native wildflower seed packets I got from my local master gardeners, but nothing to start them in and nothing to grow them in cause I ain't got no dirt!!
Dirt is dirt. Go outside and get some.
Preferably you want good soil, though, not just dirt. For that you might want to go somewhere stuff is growing and take from there. Or, if that's not an option, make your own with compost.