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Old 28-07-2008, 06:27 AM posted to rec.gardens.edible
Omelet[_4_] Omelet[_4_] is offline
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Jan 2008
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Default Some bug ate the leaves off my tomato plants

In article ,
zxcvbob wrote:

Omelet wrote:
In article
,
vorange wrote:

I thought I'd get a head start and plant my tomatos early this year.
Everything was going well. I planted a whole bunch of heirloom
tomatoes (yellow tomatoes, orange tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, tomatoes
I had cross polinated myself - a beefstake tomato with a tiny cherry
variety).

I planted them in trays, they sprouted, I transplanted them then to
the garden. Some damn bug chewed all the leaves up and killed them
all.

It annoys me no end that they destroyed my tomato plants.

I lost all my heirloom tomato seeds and the ones I had cross polinated
last year. I wanted to see what they would result in. But now its
all gone including my seeds.

F@*# those damn bugs


Probably hornworms. The most rapidly destructive bugs I've ever seen for
tomatoes! The plants might recover. Spray them with BT!



That's what I think too. Usually it's faster (and more satisfying) to
pick hornworms off by hand and squash them. Tomatoes can recover from a
*lot* of insect damage, although they'll be set back quite a bit from
it. Still, you may get a few fruit from them. (Save some of the seeds
if the beefsteak x cherry makes it, the F2 hybrids is where it gets
interesting)

Bob


I used to feed hornworms to the chickens and ducks after hand picking
them. That was even more fun to watch. eg
--
Peace! Om

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
- Edmund Burke (1729 - 1797)