Warm weather, first buds and aphids

With some warm weather over the last 2 weeks, the plants are finally taking off.  Today I noticed buds on the Black from Tulas, and a couple others.  On the other hand...aphids have colonized a few plants in a big way.   I've started spraying with diluted dishwash soap, which is reported to irritate/kill aphids. I'm trying to avoid non-organic pestidicides if possible - not that I'm really philosophically opposed to them, but I do have small kids that play in the backyard and I'd just rather not if I don't have to.  

Another tactic is to buy & release insect control species, like ladybugs (their true name is ladybird beetles), but this has some pros and cons.  e.g.:

http://www.treehugger.com/lawn-garden/why-you-shouldnt-buy-ladybugs-natural-pest-control-your-garden.html

http://voices.yahoo.com/guidelines-attracting-purchasing-ladybugs-436922.html

Although purchased ladybird beetles can carry parasites, it's probably likely that the native ladybirds in one's garden probably carry a fair parasite load too - most wild insects will.  So I believe the concern over introducing parasites that will affect other "good" insects might be overblown relative to simply attracting more ladybirds.

Green lacewings are apparently a good alternative.

Biobest produces Adalia bipunctata ladybird larvae ; distributed by International Technology Services in the USA.  

>90˚?

I've been reading that tomato plants have trouble setting fruit if the daytime temps are over 90 degrees.   We have a name for that weather in Tennessee - it's called "Summer".  If this is true I'm screwed.  But if it is, how does anybody grow them around here?

Destroying a pallet/Chicken farm smell

Over the last week I pulled apart the pallet on which they delivered all the dirt etc.  I recycled the boards as edging for the garden.  It's a "faux raised" bed!   On Tuesday I had a day at home, so I leveled out the plot with more dirt etc.   The garden surface was still an inch or two below the surrounding yard, and it pooled a lot of water (briefly) in the heavy rain last weekend.  So I added a mix of: 40 lbs cheapo topsoil + 1 lg. bag name-brand topsoil (miracle gro) + 1 smaller bag miracle gro potting mix, + ~ 3 lbs Tomato tone.  The tomato tone smells exactly like a chicken farm.   I mixed this in the wheelbarrow, applied it and then mixed a second batch, and applied that too.  Looks pretty good so far.  Note = about 6 lbs tomato tone across the entire garden, ~ 100 sq ft.   I totally eyeballed the amount based on the 20 lb bag...

So far all the plants are doing OK.  Next up:  Weed control/plastic mulch, and fencing the garden...to prevent the little ones from accidentally stomping on my plants.