The sudden downpour earlier today helped dissipate the day’s humidity and high temperatures.

While too much water isn’t good for our garden, there was a silver lining to be found from today’s thunderstorms.

Last week, we discovered aphids and whiteflies crawling all over our tomato plants. Aphids suck the juices out of the leaves, causing plants to yellow, and if left unaddressed, they can kill a plant.

Whiteflies also suck the juice out of plant leaves and stems. These insects also produce a sticky, sugary substance that can cause the growth of a sooty black fungus on plant leaves, according to the National Gardening Association.

The Organic Gardener crew members sprayed our crops with Safer Soap to help combat these pests, but they recommended regularly jetting affected crops with water to rid the plants of these insects.

As much as we’d like to spend all day in the garden, we aren’t able to. Fortunately, Mother Nature has lent us a hand by washing away the insects with today’s sudden downpour.

Following the storm, I went outside to harvest any splitting tomatoes. As I was picking a tomato from the vine, I noticed there weren’t any aphids or whiteflies crawling around.