I have some small caterpillars on my tomato plants and was wondering about
the best way to get rid of them. I'd like to do it without chemicals. One
reason is that I am growing the tomatos myself to try to prove a point.
I've developed an intolerance to shop bought tomatoes in recent years and
want to find out if it's the chemicals that are used in their cultivation
that are causing the problem.

BTW my garden is in the shade of a large sycamore tree [lots of expletives
and shaking of fists in direction of tree]. It attracts all sorts of pests.
Fortuantely, it also attracts loads of birds that feed off the pests but my
garden is a cloud of greenfly at the moment and these tiny caterpillars
(about 10-15mm in length) are another by-product. No I can't take the tree
down - it's in a neighbours garden, has a protection order (bloody weed) and
we could only get persmission to take off a few overhanging branches.

Vicky

Try ants or soap
"Vicky" wrote in message
...
I have some small caterpillars on my tomato plants and was wondering about
the best way to get rid of them. I'd like to do it without chemicals.
===========cut==================

"Vicky" wrote in message
...
I have some small caterpillars on my tomato plants and was wondering about
the best way to get rid of them. I'd like to do it without chemicals.
One
reason is that I am growing the tomatos myself to try to prove a point.
I've developed an intolerance to shop bought tomatoes in recent years and
want to find out if it's the chemicals that are used in their cultivation
that are causing the problem.

BTW my garden is in the shade of a large sycamore tree [lots of expletives
and shaking of fists in direction of tree]. It attracts all sorts of
pests.
Fortuantely, it also attracts loads of birds that feed off the pests but
my
garden is a cloud of greenfly at the moment and these tiny caterpillars
(about 10-15mm in length) are another by-product. No I can't take the
tree
down - it's in a neighbours garden, has a protection order (bloody weed)
and
we could only get persmission to take off a few overhanging branches.

Vicky

***************************
The Law is, - cut off the overhanging branches at the border and, since they
belong to the neighbour, without quarrel tie them up and lower them into the
next door garden without doing any damage to property or plants.
Neighbours from Hell savages have moved into the semi next door to me and it
has taken me well over a year to silence their big tubular bells ten yards
from my bedroom window , plus personal assault, plus constant foul-mouthed
insults and Churchillian finger signals ( and that's only their visiting
Mother!) which we've had to suffer until we invoked the Harassment Laws, but
it was only after a year's suffering that the Police and the Environment
people finally took action.
If you have good neighbours, you are lucky , - cherish them and cultivate
them and don't offend them.
Thank God for the recently introduced Noise abatement and the Harassment
laws. Had they not been introduced we would have had to leave the home we
have built over the last 46 years of hard work.
There's more than I have written but I won't bore you with it. Sufficient
unto the day...!
Doug.

**************************

In article , Douglas
writes


***************************
The Law is, - cut off the overhanging branches at the border and, since they
belong to the neighbour, without quarrel tie them up and lower them into the
next door garden without doing any damage to property or plants.

No.
The law is that you must offer them to the neighbour.

If you have good neighbours, you are lucky , - cherish them and cultivate
them and don't offend them.

And don't dump your trimmings of their trees and shrubs into their
garden without asking them first! ;-)

--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

"Kay Easton" wrote in message
...
In article , Douglas
writes


***************************
The Law is, - cut off the overhanging branches at the border and, since
they
belong to the neighbour, without quarrel tie them up and lower them into
the
next door garden without doing any damage to property or plants.

No.
The law is that you must offer them to the neighbour.

If you have good neighbours, you are lucky , - cherish them and cultivate
them and don't offend them.

And don't dump your trimmings of their trees and shrubs into their
garden without asking them first! ;-)

--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:

Kay,
I think you will find that once a TPO has been made then the normal law
doesn't apply. On the other hand I've never heard of a TPO granted on a
Sycamore unless it is very special.
The above aside~~ I once advised, as you suggested [correctly], on the
removal of an overhanging large branch. The problem arose when the cut
surface sprang back to be at least 3' inside the neighbour's property!! Had
we trespassed? The cut should have ended up on the dividing line?
Fortunately, the neighbour made no objections but it could have been
difficult without goodwill. We had removed 3' of his tree from his garden!
Best Wishes Brian





http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

In article , Brian
writes

"Kay Easton" wrote in message
...
In article , Douglas
writes


***************************
The Law is, - cut off the overhanging branches at the border and, since
they
belong to the neighbour, without quarrel tie them up and lower them into
the
next door garden without doing any damage to property or plants.

No.
The law is that you must offer them to the neighbour.

Kay,
I think you will find that once a TPO has been made then the normal law
doesn't apply.

True - you cannot prune a TPO'd tree without permission. But I didn't
realise the post I replied to was about a TPO tree - I was merely
correcting the poster's assertion that having pruned the overhanging
branches the law requires you to dump them back on the neighbour's
property regardless of whether the neighbour wants them.

I should have noticed - trouble was, the poster I replied to was one who
doesn't believe in snipping, and the relevant TPO bit had long since
slipped off the screen.
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

"Douglas" wrote in message
...

"Vicky" wrote in message
...
snip
BTW my garden is in the shade of a large sycamore tree [lots of
expletives
and shaking of fists in direction of tree]. It attracts all sorts of
pests.
Fortuantely, it also attracts loads of birds that feed off the pests but
my
garden is a cloud of greenfly at the moment and these tiny caterpillars
(about 10-15mm in length) are another by-product. No I can't take the
tree
down - it's in a neighbours garden, has a protection order (bloody weed)
and
we could only get persmission to take off a few overhanging branches.

Vicky

***************************
The Law is, - cut off the overhanging branches at the border and, since
they
belong to the neighbour, without quarrel tie them up and lower them into
the
next door garden without doing any damage to property or plants.
snip
Doug.

The Law is a little more clear on trees with protection or preservation
orders, cut them at your peril. Large fines can be imposed and I believe
custodial sentances on repeat offenders.

Having said that I am amazed that any council would issue a protection order
on a Sycamore, there are not exactly rare, native, pretty or terribly useful
to wildlife.

Have you checked to ensure that there really is a protection order ?

Duncan

"Douglas" wrote in message
...

"Vicky" wrote in message
...
snip
BTW my garden is in the shade of a large sycamore tree [lots of
expletives
and shaking of fists in direction of tree]. It attracts all sorts of
pests.
Fortuantely, it also attracts loads of birds that feed off the pests but
my
garden is a cloud of greenfly at the moment and these tiny caterpillars
(about 10-15mm in length) are another by-product. No I can't take the
tree
down - it's in a neighbours garden, has a protection order (bloody weed)
and
we could only get persmission to take off a few overhanging branches.

Vicky

***************************
The Law is, - cut off the overhanging branches at the border and, since
they
belong to the neighbour, without quarrel tie them up and lower them into
the
next door garden without doing any damage to property or plants.
snip
Doug.

The Law is a little more clear on trees with protection or preservation
orders, cut them at your peril. Large fines can be imposed and I believe
custodial sentances on repeat offenders.

Having said that I am amazed that any council would issue a protection order
on a Sycamore, there are not exactly rare, native, pretty or terribly useful
to wildlife.

Have you checked to ensure that there really is a protection order ?

Duncan

"Vicky" wrote in message
...
I have some small caterpillars on my tomato plants and was wondering about
the best way to get rid of them. I'd like to do it without chemicals.
One
reason is that I am growing the tomatos myself to try to prove a point.
I've developed an intolerance to shop bought tomatoes in recent years and
want to find out if it's the chemicals that are used in their cultivation
that are causing the problem.

Pick them off by hand - and reflect as you do this why (most?) commercial
tomatoes are kept bug free by chemicals.

Spraying takes a few minutes.

Hand clearing takes a lot longer.

Do get rid of them - I had a couple on my tomatoes last year and thought
that there were plenty of tomatoes to go round. However they went and
munched small chunks out of loads of tomatoes and spoiled them so this year
there will be no mercy.

Cheers
Dave R