Two Maters
- At August 29, 2011
- By Molly Chester
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9
That was the subject line of my husband’s email to me containing the above picture. That man is too much. Which… funny enough, was the name of Shu Takikawa‘s cat, rooting in the number of times they said the phrase while chuckling and shaking their baffled heads in the cat’s direction. Too much could also refer to the number of tomatoes per second that are ripening in our garden.
We’re growing Marvel Striped, Three Sisters, Skorospelka, Silvery Fir Tree, Porter Improved and Green Zebra. Too much! Which lastly, could accurately describe the amount of tomato leaves the guy below mowed through this week.
To put it in perspective, our gardener Maria sent me the following picture of the same worm in her own garden.
Looks like our Apricot Lane Farms worms were helping themselves to a generous lunch, backed by a siesta, and then probably dinner. Guess this little beauty is the aptly named tomato hornworm.
They are hard to spot on the plant with their camo-outfits, but their enormous poops are a sign, so if you see disturbingly large brown pellets in the area of a tomato plant, take a closer look. The worms can simply be plucked off the plant, but we also used an organic spray, too. Poor guys. They’ll have to find another buffet.
Crises averted. Looks like I’ll have to drum up some good canning recipes because the tomatoes… they’re a coming!
xo – Organic Spark
Disclosure: I wrote this post while participating in the Sowing Millions Project by Real Food Media on behalf of Seeds of Change. I received product and exclusive content to facilitate my post. However, my thoughts and opinions are my own and not of those of Real Food Media or Seeds of Change.
Dad
As you know, I’ve seen that tomato patch. You’d better make sure that the flatbed truck is working so you can deliver tomatoes daily to the food shelters. At least the hornworm knows a good healthy meal when he sees one.
Dad
susan
Gives worms and farm intruders a whole new meaning and perspective! Cannot wait to see you farm in full bloom! xx
Marla
Oh I remember seeing one of those big worms when I was at our farm in the UK as a kid. Yucky!
The tomatoes are stunning :)
Nichoel
I have some great pics of a couple of those pesky worms that were intruding on our maters! They were huge and had a very strong hold on the vine. As I peeled one off, it began to curl it’s body to stick me with that scary looking hook! We have a garden box and were successful in just plucking them off regularly. We haven’t seen one now for weeks and our tomatoes are ripening.
Georgia Pellegrini
I just canned a whole bunch of tomatoes too. I love green zebra tomatoes, I’m jealous that you have them!
Anna
I hope you’ll get to can lots of those tomatoes so you can eat them for the rest of the year, too! Or slow roast and then freeze them…. so many good things you can make with too many tomatoes.
aida mollenkamp
Molly, I’m going through a garden-less patch of my life right now (not counting the time I spend at my sister’s place), so it’s great having a view into the goings-on over at your place!
Mom
I love John, his sense of humor, his eye for a good photo, his wife, and every one of these two-maters that are appearing. I am only sad that I won’t get to eat one. Darn it all anyhow. It’s also comforting to know Maria continues to hover over the harvest.
carole
Loved the picture of the tomato worm! I remember as a kid my dad would pay my brother and I 25 cents for each worm we picked off. We rooted through the tomatoes like it was a gold mine! I don’t imagine I could get my kids to touch one for $10!