Sunday, July 19, 2020

The Joys of Gardening! (Hornworms On Tomatoes?)


Hello all my lovely friends out there in Blogland! How are you all doing? It is my hope that you are doing all you can to stay healthy during these trying times.

Richard and I have been quite busy with our garden. (Well, Richard mostly, I just help, a bit!)  One weekend, we WRESTLED with something called a tomato hornworm. I had no idea what it was, I had to do a search on the internet for it. (In fact, it is called a TOBACCO hornworm, it has white, horizontal markings on the side. If it has red v-shaped markings, it is a tomato hornworm. The way to remember it, the white can remind you of cigarettes and the red can remind you of vine ripened tomatoes! Hey, I didn't make this up, just telling you what I learned!)  Okay, it doesn't really matter which one it is, both of them will eat your tomatoes and leaves SLAP UP!  So, you must get rid of them! My information said to get a bucket of soapy water and drop them into it. Yep, it does the trick!  Now, it is called a hornworm  but it is actually a caterpillar for the Sphinx moth.  It is called that because when the caterpillar is at rest, apparently, it reminds one of the Sphinx. (Don't ask me, whenever I saw it, it was head first into one of our tomatoes!)  No worries, after that one weekend, we were able to pick them off the plants and are now enjoying our tomatoes, besides our crisp cucumbers!  And sometimes a cucumber will "hide" from you and will grow too big and will be too bitter to eat. I think I told you in a post before that when I was a little girl, we would wrap up the overgrown cuke in a wash cloth and pretend it was a baby.  Did anybody else do that? So funny to think of these childhood memories...

                                     (Note the small pickling cucumber the correct size and the overgrown one that was hiding! I pickled a few but honestly, we just like to eat them!)

Since I spent so much time on research, I will share my newfound knowledge about the destructive caterpillars which are usually called hornworms.
 Manduca quinquemaculata---that is the one with the v shapes on the side, it has a black horn.  Commonly called the tomato hornworm.
Manduca sexta-  "robust & bright green with white diagonal striped markings on the side, 
and a small horn on the last abdominal segment (head is on the other end.")  P.S. I knew where the head was, it was right down inside one of our tomatoes!  This one is called the tobacco hornworm, said both interlap but the Manduca sexta is more common in the southeast USA, which is where we are! 
If you are ever growing tomatoes and you notice some tiny black dots underneath your plant, then look out for these hornworms! And look carefully, they are masters at camouflage. Not sure if these are everywhere in the world but they sure are here in Georgia.

Nature and needlework,,, that is what has helped my sanity! (And by needlework, I mean my crochet, I find it very relaxing.)  What has been helpful to you?







And of course there is always MUSIC!
We must have a song!  "A Kiss To Build A Dream On"...I have been humming that for a while now!   (Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein, someone I truly admire and sung by the one and only, Louis Armstrong.)  Enjoy! 

30 comments:

  1. We have had them here fingers crossed they did not find us this year.
    they are a bit gross. I am a rug hooker so gardening and hooking and just laying around in this heat.
    cathy

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    1. Your rug hooking and gardening sounds nice. Hope the hornworms leave you alone!

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  2. Hornworms are probably the ugliest of all creatures. With our overgrown cucumbers we cut them in half lengthwise and made them into sailboats. As you might have guessed I love A Kiss To Build A Dream On.

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    1. I very much love that song too! Only, I just discovered it, it was in the end credits of "Sleepless in Seattle"! I have seen that film a lot of times but never heard the songs during the credits that roll at the end. Had to share it.

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  3. Gosh! I’ve never heard of hornworms. I hope I never have to deal with them.

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    1. If you do, you will know what to do. You're welcome! :-)

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  4. My Dad has been growing tomatoes almost as long as I can remember, currently in pots on the balcony. I have never come across hornworms, so I suppose they do not live in this part of the world. Hopefully, you will now be able to enjoy all your tomatoes yourself and the hornworms won't be back!
    At the start of today's post, you mention trying times. They certainly are in the US. and in many other countries. I suppose they are also trying times for loads of people over here. But so far, I must say I have been extremely lucky and fortunate; all my friends and family are (relatively) well, nobody has lost their job, I have been able to get everything I needed, and been on so many pleasant walks.
    Now with many restrictions having been lifted here, I do feel a bit uneasy at times, since many people seem to have forgotten all about social distancing. At least most stick to the regulation about wearing masks when using public transport and in shops.

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    1. Oh, you probably don't have to worry about killer mosquitoes either! :-)
      Uneasy, that is one way to describe what it feels like for me these days but STRESSED OUT might be closer to the mark. It's become a big thing now about masks here in Georgia, the Governor of the state at odds with the mayors of our largest cities, Atlanta and Savannah. I just hope people will wear masks, listen to common sense!

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  5. It's many years since I grew tomatoes but next year I should have a new Polycarbonate Tunnel so will grow them and courgettes (your cucumbers I think?).

    Oddly I'm typing this to Louis Armstrong. I don't think that's a song I've heard before which surprises me. It may just be my memory of course.

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    1. I like the sound of that tunnel! And courgettes are what we call zucchini.
      Don't you just LOVE this song? I do! I didn't know it either! It was on the end credits of the film "Sleepless In Seattle". I hope you have seen that wonderful movie! Of course, it is one of my favorites, but even so, I had never heard the songs that they played during the end credits! LOVE it!!

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  6. Nature and needlework for me too. Our two tomato plants have finally produced some flowers - please keep your worm to your place! Fingers crossed.. I have sewn pyjamas, exercise pants, masks and an apron. But no fashion. Strange times indeed. Be safe. 😍🙋‍♀️💕

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    1. Sounds like you have been busy! I think I have crocheted about 20 face masks, I put some much padding in each one, it is like having a diaper on my face. (Do you say "nappy" in Australia, like in England?) Anyway, hope it does the trick!!

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  7. I do love Lousi Armstrong and homegrown tomatoes. Horn worms are the root of evil and best to get rid of them. Gardening isn't for the weak for sure. No ripe tomatoes here yet Most are saying maybe next week, but I will be happy when they get here. Nothing says summer as much as a ripe tomato. They are delicious!

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    1. Our tomatoes are just coming in,the little cherry ones are my favorite. I do love veggies from the garden!

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  8. Oh, I know the hornworm well! I just pull them off with my hands and step on them. Gross, I know! I was afraid of them at first because the ones I saw were very fat and I was afraid of the horn, but I guess my dismay at a denuded plant and eaten tomato made me feel like a warrior. Haha!

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    1. Oh, I should have said...I didn't touch those things, not when I have a husband around to do it! I am such a big baby! I read that they were really bad this year, so, guess that's why we had so many. We pulled off five of them off our plants!

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  9. Kay, thank goodness you saved some of your veggies. As A kid I would pick up any kind of bug...but not now girl. They just creep me out. I don't want to touch anything but a butterfly. I actually hold my hand out for them to land and they never do. LOL Ted just laughs when I do that. Take care sweet girl, Blessings, xoxo, Susie

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    1. I love that image of you with your hand out for butterflies! Sweet Susie! And if you read my comments above, you will see that I never touched those horrid things!
      Take care, my friend and look out for those hornworms!! xxx

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  10. Boy! If I had a dollar for every time I heard my mother play this song on our piano...I would be a millionairess! Yes! A millionairess...not millionaire! I am woman, hear me roar! :)

    Home-grown tomatoes are the best...so sweet and juicy! Yum!

    Keep taking good care, Kay...all the best to you and yours. :)

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    1. If you read the above comments you will see that I only just heard this song recently but I love it! How could you not?
      I bet it does sound very good on the piano and what nice memories it must bring back for you!
      You take care too, Lee!

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  11. Good that you managed to harvest tomatoes and cucumbers from your garden.

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  12. I don't have hornworms, thank heavens. But I have the striped beetles that spread wilt and kill cucumbers which I cannot ever grow...This summer I have some tomatoes growing on the deck and some peppers, and lots of herbs and flowers....

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    1. I looked up the striped beetles and it said to grow nasturiums beside your cucumbers to combat the striped beetles! I think it is one of those kind of things where the beetles would be more attracted to the nasturium flower and leave your cukes alone. (Not harming the flower, I don't think.) Anyway, hope you see this!

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  13. I'd not heard of hornworms ...

    I enjoyed your music choice ...

    All the best Jan

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    1. So glad you liked the music! Sorry for the hornworm discussion, but that is life, gotta take hornworms along with someone who can really blow a good horn! HA HA! (Sorry, there might be someone else on Earth cornier than I am, but I have never met him or her.)

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  14. We had some of those nasty worms but so far this year has been good. I just picked our first ripe tomato tonight. I didn't grow cucumbers this year. I did pickles the last 2 years but decided not to this year. I will have more time for gardening after I retire next week...yep, finally going to make the jump on the 31st..scary but looking forward to a break! Have a good weekend!

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    1. That's wonderful! More time to do the things that you like to do when you retire! My husband keeps saying, "When I retire...with a real longing in his voice, you can tell he is a gardener! There truly is a lot of work involved in it, I just am a helper. (Well, a bit of one anyway! LOL)
      I am wishing you the VERY BEST in your retirement. Back in the day, you would have had a great big party with hugs all around...make your friends write you a RAIN CHECK for a retirement party! Take care. xx

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  15. I've also battled the hornworms and they can eat a plant to the stem in no time! I think your way of dealing is the best - pluck them off, drop in a tub of soapy water.

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    1. I was surprised at how they can hide so well in a tomato plant! Glad we saw them early and were able to dispose of them quickly!

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