Tomato Hornworm

Hornworms have voracious appetites. If you find that your perfect tomato suddenly looks like it became an all-you-can-eat buffet, the culprit is most likely hornworms (who have no problem eating either the leaves of fruits of tomato plants.)

Most of the above information was written either by myself or insect expert Debbie Hadley, who is a colleague of mine at About.com. I hope the photos, descriptions of damage, and organic control options outlined in each article help you keep your garden healthy and bountiful.

Squash Vine Borer

Your perfectly healthy zucchini or pumpkin has a withered vine here and there. Cut open the vine just about where the problem starts, and you'll probably find the grayish-white larva known as squash vine borer. The good news is that once you find them, you can halt the damage. Simply slice the vine open and dig the borer out. Then you can trim off any yellow or wilted parts of the stem, and bury the rest in the soil. It will grow new roots, and keep growing happily.

Squash Bug

Yellow spots on the leaves of your pumpkins, winter squash, or summer squash are one sign of squash bugs. Another is wilting vines, or vines that wither and turn black. It can be a bit confusing, because the symptoms (wilting vines) are easily confused with that of squash vine borer (below). One good way to determine the difference is to look for dusty looking frass (dropping) on the stems -- that's usually an indicator of vine borer rather than squash bugs.

Slugs

The main crop that slugs damage in most gardens is lettuce. These slimy pests just can't get enough of my Amish Deertongue lettuce. Happily, they're fairly easy to get rid of. You can hand pick and squish them, handpick and throw them into a bucket of soapy water, let them drown in some beer, or use a grapefruit rind to trap them.

Mexican Bean Beetle

It's late summer, and the foliage on your beans is reduced to almost nothing but the veins. Look under any remaining leaves, and you'll probably find a Mexican bean beetle larva or two. Mexican Bean Beetles are found just about everywhere in the U.S.

Flea Beetle

Tiny holes in the leaves of eggplants, peppers, radishes, pumpkins and squashes, melons, or tomatoes ( as well as other plants) are a sure sign of flea beetles. While the photo shows a gold-colored flea beetle, they are also often shiny black beetles. You will see them hopping around on the plants like, well, fleas.

Cutworm

So, you planted out a bunch of perfect tomato seedlings only to find them toppled over, as if chopped down by tiny axes, the next morning. You have a cutworm problem.You can make simple collars from empty toilet paper rolls to protect the stems until they are too large to sustain damage from cutworms. The rolls will break down in the soil, or you can compost them.

Cucumber Beetle

Besides gnawing on the leaves and fruits, cucumber beetles also spread bacterial wilts. Handpicking is a great option here, as are floating row covers to provide a barrier to these pests in the first place.

Corn Borer/Corn Earworm

Not just corn, but also peppers, beans, and potatoes can fall victim to corn borers. If any of these plants start toppling over, chances are good that a corn borer has made its way into the stem. Bacillus thuringiensis is an effective natural control for these pests.

Colorado Potato Beetle

If the foliage on your potato plants is starting to get chewed, chances are good that you have a potato beetle problem. A little work and vigilance, and you can still protect your potato crop. Colorado Potato Beetles overwinter in the soil, so crop rotation can be a huge help in reducing the damage your garden sustains.

Cabbage Worm

You know those pretty white butterflies you see hovering around your garden in early summer? Yeah. You may want to start checking your cabbage, kale, broccoli and other cruciferous veggies for holes in the leaves. Look underneath, because most likely the culprit is a light green larva that hatches from the eggs deposited by those pretty white butterflies. One of the easiest ways to control them (besides covering your crops with floating row covers and eliminating the problem all together) is to hand pick them and drop them in a cup of soapy water.

Asparagus Beetle

If those eagerly-awaited stalks of tender asparagus are showing brown spots, scarring, or are bent, asparagus beetles are probably to blame. One of their main predators is a parasitic wasp -- another reason you don't want to use broad spectrum pesticides in your yard. In addition to encouraging the wasps, you can also handpick the larvae, eggs, and beetles from your plants.

Common Vegetable Garden Insect Pests

These tiny pests cause damage by sucking the juices from the leaves and stems of plants, and spreading disease while they do so. They are fairly easy to get rid of -- sometimes all it takes is a strong blast from your hose to knock them off of the plant.

Get Rid of the Most Common Vegetable Garden Insect Pests - Without Poisoning Your Garden

When I wrote my post about summer vegetable gardening, some of the most common feedback I got was "this is great -- but how do I get rid of whatever's chowing on my zucchini plant?" It's true that insects, including insect pests, are part of gardening. However, the vegetable garden is definitely not the place to use harmful chemicals in the name of bug control.

With that in mind, I hope this post helps you identify and eradicate (in an Earth-friendly manner!) any pests you come across in your vegetable garden.

Cures To Common Tomato Plant Problems

Home gardening is a favorite hobby for millions of people around the world. Tomatoes are one of the most popular fruits (or vegetables if you want to engage in that argument) people grow. They are not very expensive, easy to grow and produce a bountiful harvest of fresh, juicy tomatoes that are a summertime treat.Unfortunately, tomato plant problems are very common. Problems may include harmful insects, diseases and fungus that can be caused by severeweather conditions, inconsistent watering, nutrient deficiencies or inherent genetic factors bred into the seeds or plants.

We will explore some of the more common problems home tomato gardeners might face and provide tips on how to prevent or cure most of them.Brown circular spot on the blossom-end of the tomato.Symptom: This is a common issue with homegrown tomatoes. It initially appears as a small, depressed, leathery, brownish area on the blossom end of the fruit and grows in size as the fruit ripens. The spot may end up being as large as a dime or half-dollar if left unchecked.

Cause: Blossom end rot is caused by a calcium deficiency coupled with wide fluctuations in available moisture. Training and pruning the tomato vines may also increase blossom end rot.Remedy: Remove the affected fruit so other fruits on the plant will develop normally. Keep the plants well watered. Mulch around the base of the plants to maintain a more uniform moisture supply. Avoid cultivating or hoeing near the roots of tomato plants. Some gardeners also add crushed eggshells to the soil before planting seedlings to fortify calcium availability.Flowers form but drop before tomatoes develop.

Cause: “Blossom Drop” is usually caused when the tomato plant experiences a sudden change in the weather, typically earlier or later in the season when night temperatures are lower than 55 degrees F. The heat of the summer is also a common time when this occurs, when day temperatures are higher than 95 degrees F or when night temperatures remain above 75 degrees F. Hot drying winds and a sudden lack of moisture for the plant may also intensify the problem.

Remedy: Add mulch around the plant to retain available soil moisture. You can also use a tomato blossom set spray, available from your local garden store. It is an all-natural plant hormone that helps blossoms set fruit in spite of poor weather conditions, producing larger, meatier tomatoes with fewer seeds. Improving weather conditions may also solve the problem without any further action.

Cause: Splitting or cracking typically happens when the fruit experiences accelerated growth which can be brought on by a sudden increase in moisture after being too dry, like a sudden summer rain after an extended dry period. Cracking also may occur when the fruit is overripe.

Remedy: The good news is that splitting or cracking does not affect the flavor and the tomato can still be eaten, however unsightly it may appear. To avoid the problem, provide consistent moisture to the plant or research and select varieties that are resistant to cracking. With cherry tomatoes, pick ripe or nearly ripe fruit right before a forecast rain storm to limit the risk of cracking.

Tomato plants have a stunted appearance

Symptom: Nematodes live in the soil and cause swelling of the plant root which, in turn, causes stunted plants and discolored plant leaves. The only way to confirm diagnosis is to pull the plan and inspect the roots.

Cause: Root-knot nematodes are soil-born microscopic eelworms.

Remedy: The bad news is there is no treatment for an existing nematode infestation. The good news is the affected plants can still grow and produce edible fruit. Preventative measures to stop nematodes in the future include selecting varieties labeled with “N” and planting marigolds with your tomatoes. Many varieties of marigolds, including’ Nema-gone’, ‘Golden Guardian’, or ‘Tangerine’, release a chemical into the soil that kills nematodes.

Visibly chewed leaves and tomatoes

Symptom: Chewed up plant leaves and damaged fruits that are still unripe are clearly visible.

Cause: Tomato hornworms are large, green-grayish caterpillars that feed off tomato fruits and plants.

Remedy: Although they can blend very well with surrounding foliage, once discovered, they can be easily picked off by hand and disposed of.

Although some of the more common tomato plant problems have been highlighted, it is important to remember that there are many more diseases and pests that may affect your plants. If you have a problem that you can’t easily diagnose, please check with your local extension agent or garden center to learn what treatment is best for your specific problem.Visit the author’s detailed, illustrated article Preventing and Solving Common Tomato Plant Problemsfor more information about preventing, diagnosing and fixing tomato plant problems… and make sure you spend a little time in Suzy’s Garden – a great place for more gardening and crafting information and fun !

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TOMATO TIPS

If you are starting your first tomato garden, or are an old pro at it, there are always tips that can make your enterprise easier, and more successful. Following are 5 tomato growing tips that I found make the greatest difference in the health of your plants. When buying tomato plants always look for plants that have not begun to flower or fruit, that have straight sturdy stems and dark leaves. Also, give them time to harden off before you plant them. This will avoid any shock transplanting will have on them. Wait until the threat of frost has past.

It is important to always plant tomatoes as deep as possible. Because tomatoes can grow roots all along their stem, you can either bury them up to the top leaves, or plant them horizontally. The extra roots that will grow will make your tomato stronger. Staking your tomato plants is very important. Since tomatoes are a vine they will not grow upright on their own. Having the vines lay on the ground will make them more prone to insect attacks and disease problems. Do not skimp on the stakes, as your plants will get tall and heavy. You should stake the tomatoes when you plant in order that you don’t damage their roots. Maintenance of your tomato plants is critical. Watering your plants regularly will avoid splitting of the tomatoes, as well as blossom drop. As your tomato fruit begins to ripen you can reduce the amount you are watering. By reducing your watering at the fruiting stage your tomatoes will concentrate sugars in the fruit. Don’t hold back to much on the water though because the plant will stress and wilt. If the plant becomes stressed it can cause it to drop blossoms and possibly it’s fruit.

Always prune off any suckers that are growing between the branches. These only use energy that could be going into growing bigger plants. Removing some of the leaves will help the fruit ripen by allowing the sun to reach it. Just make sure that you don’t remove to many leaves. The leaves are what provide sugars for the roots and fruit, if you remove to many your tomatoes will suffer. If you love tomatoes, caring and nurturing your plants will give you higher yields of fruit and make your tomato garden the envy of the neighborhood! These are just a few tomato growing tips I hope will help you have your best tomato crop ever.