On Wed, 24 Jun 2015 17:56:55 -0500, "Terry Coombs"
wrote:

Boron Elgar wrote:
On Wed, 24 Jun 2015 12:29:12 -0500, "Terry Coombs"
wrote:

Finally figured out - with the help of a couple of knowledgeable
local folks - that my tomatoes have tomato spotted wilt virus .
Nasty little bugs called thrips are the vector , and the key is to
control them .

snip

Are you seeing thrips?

I'm seeing something , small bugs the right size , around 1-2 mm . Also
seeing what might be a predator bug that preys on them , but there were only
a couple of them on one or two plants . I've been told the problems get a
lot better when we get into the hotter drier part of summer . Plants are
pretty puny for this late in June though , hopefully they'll do better .
Seems like it's something different every year .

It is something different every year, as weather benefits some
critters or conditions and controls or eliminate others. Hot, cold,
wet, dry, when that all happen at the right times of year and for
optimal durations.

Some years the beans do well, other years the cukes and squash, some
years the tomatoes or the lettuces or the corn, or...well you get the
idea. Ya just gotta roll with it, do your best to have healthy soil
and gardening techniques and keep hoping every spring.

One things I have done with tomatoes is that I always plant several
varieties of cherries. I find that even if there is tomato disaster
that takes out the big juicy varieties, there is always something that
can be rescued on the cherry tomatoes.

Boron