Garden Woes

I was watering the garden the other day and was shocked to discover one of my tomato plants that had been gloriously healthy the day before was suddenly bereft of leaves. 

A quick inspection of the other five tomato plants confirmed my suspicion: I was under siege from the dreaded Tomato Hornworm. 

the monster in my garden

Hornworms are horrible pests and if not dealt with immediately they can quickly devastate your tomato plants.  They will not only eat leaves, but love to snack on the fruit as well.

The most common clue one will observe when Hornworms are about is the droppings of the offending creatures, which are quite large.  Fresh droppings are the green of newly digested leaves, and as the poopies dry they become black. 

If you see the droppings, look for the freshest ones and follow a line up the plant, and you'll usually find the Hornworm.  They can be difficult to see at times since they blend in so well with the plants, but then you see one that's five inches long and an a half inch in girth and wonder how the hell you ever missed that creepy thing! 

The worst part of this onslaught is that I have just learned, though unfortunate experience, that tomatoes aren't the only plant on the Hornworm's list of favorites.  It seems they also enjoy stripping pepper plants.

Note the old Hornworm poop on the pepper...gross.

The easiest way to get rid of these nasties is to pull them off and squish them underfoot.  The neon green fluids that burst out are quite surprising at first, but you get used to it.  I've heard there are dusts you can use, but I'm not big on pesticides.  I've also heard diatomaceous earth can be a deterrent.  After all the hard work I put into my gardens, the pop under my size 10 shoe is much more satisfying.

Also satisfying is my onion success.  Here I thought a late planting was going to render a dismal first crop, but the onions are coming along great.  I'll definitely continue to plant these in the future.

And an update on my grass patch in front of the barn - it's growing, albeit slowly.  I didn't do a great job spreading it by hand, so I think I should buy another bag of seed and do a second seeding. 

Note the weeds growing like crazy in the driveway...Mother Nature thumbing her nose at me.