Tomatoes - getting eaten by caterpillars

worded

Ive didnt know they ate tomatoes.

Can green tomatoes be taken indoors to ripen?

Mothman

Are there many caterpillars?
Are they eating the leaves and/or fruit?

From a selfish point of view I'd like to know which species of moth is responsible. I'd need photos, but I don't expect you to have any desire to get photos and upload them I've only seen a couple species eat the fruit

As for your Q, yes tomatoes can be ripened. I believe they are left on plant and plant is hung. I'm sure you'll get more informed replies

Corsendonk

If you pick the tomato too green it won't ripen, you need to see a start in colour usually from the base of the tomato.

average_runner

My turnip is getitng hammered by caterpillars, had to put netting on them and examine it everyday, losing the battle i feel as all leaves nearly gone.

Will these leaves grow back?

mp22

pick all your green tomatoes,wrap each one carefully in a paper tissue,place all the tomatoes in a bag (brown paper is best) put in a cool very dark place,they will ripen in 6 to 8 weeks.Check them every 2 or so weeks and through out any that show signs of going off.

worded

Mothman wrote: »

Are there many caterpillars?
Are they eating the leaves and/or fruit?

From a selfish point of view I'd like to know which species of moth is responsible. I'd need photos, but I don't expect you to have any desire to get photos and upload them I've only seen a couple species eat the fruit

As for your Q, yes tomatoes can be ripened. I believe they are left on plant and plant is hung. I'm sure you'll get more informed replies

Three of them were tucking into one tomato. It was their last supper.
I would have taken a photo, but they are no loger with us.

Corsendonk

mp22 wrote: »

pick all your green tomatoes,wrap each one carefully in a paper tissue,place all the tomatoes in a bag (brown paper is best) put in a cool very dark place,they will ripen in 6 to 8 weeks.Check them every 2 or so weeks and through out any that show signs of going off.

Not really an ideal solution, your tomato eating quality will be pretty poor. the longer you can leave on the plant to ripen the better. The above techique is for end of season when you pull up your plants but the eating quality is very poor and tomatoes might be better put to use making green chutney. If you haven't many plants you may be just better to pick off the caterpillars and squash them, tedious but it works otherwise apply a contact insecticide application with a small harvest window.

artieanna

I would say leave the tomatoes on the plant as long as possible also if you place the tomatoes beside a ripe apple/s the apple gives off ethylene that speeds up ripening process..

Strange but true:eek:

i57dwun4yb1pt8

yeah , i had these little b*stards as well

ate 1/3 of my tomatoes and half my peppers

now i check em every day - about 1 inch long - minty green white with a yellow dotted stripe on each side.

voracious , they eat evry leaf and fruit they see.

mine are now happily eating plants in heaven.

johndoe99

put water, 3 teaspoons bread soda, and one squirt of washing up liquid in a spray bottle. This will kill the caterpillars.

As soon as the tomatoes start turning yellowish red, you can pick and take indoors

goat2

thanks for that tipmy cabbage and brussel sprouts are getting a right hammering, will do it this evening

jezko

DaDumTish wrote: »

yeah , i had these little b*stards as well

ate 1/3 of my tomatoes and half my peppers

now i check em every day - about 1 inch long - minty green white with a yellow dotted stripe on each side.

voracious , they eat evry leaf and fruit they see.

mine are now happily eating plants in heaven.

Perfer to hear they went straight to Hell!!

ger vallely

Leave the tomatoes on the 'branch?',{sorry for lack of proper terms}, pull off any leaves and very small fruits, tie them upside down from your window. I usually attach them to my blinds. They will ripen, without watering, quite quickly. This method has always worked, without fail for me. Maybe next season, if you are not growing huge amounts you could try thr Tumbling Tom variety, indoors, on bright window sills. There will be no caterpillar problems then. Good luck and happy eating!

Cabaal

caterpillars destroyed the leaves on my spuds big time this year, at first I thought it was slugs but after further investigation I discovered itr was caterpillars.

Over the space of a week I must have killed 90 of them, I then harvested my spuds.

The little feckers then moved straight on to my tomatoes which I've sprayed....no sign of any of them since. Thankfully.

Corsendonk

ger vallely wrote: »

Leave the tomatoes on the 'branch?',{sorry for lack of proper terms}, !

Truss, and the little green stalk at the top of that tomato that connects it to the truss is the calyx.

dxhound2005

I was listening to Gardener's Corner on BBC Radio Ulster and they said at this stage you should cut away all the foliage and put banana skins at the base of your tomatoes to encourage the green one to ripen. I'm trying it with mine now.

Corsendonk

They outdoor tomatoes? You don't need to cut the leaves off, your hands can easily break them off.