Tomato Jerks

Wasn't it just last week that we were griping about the bitter cold and unusual amount of snow?  It seems summer has brutally descended on us like a big, wet, wool blanket.  It occurred to me how ridiculous the temperatures have been when I looked at the long-range forecast and realized I was viewing temps in the lower 90's by the end of the week as "relief."

If the trend continues, we may be in for a long miserable summer.  I'm already missing being in close proximity to the lake.

Luckily my tomato plants don't seem to mind the excessive heat.  I was excited to see - despite some adversity in the form of an aggressive tomato hornworm invasion - a ripe tomato.  You might notice the lack of leaves on this Arkansas Traveler plant - a result of a nighttime munchdown from those voracious little green jerks.  They met their maker upon discovery the next morning.  At first I was squishing them (with a tiny bit of remorse - the moths they turn into are pretty cool), but then I decided to try chucking them out in the yard to the side of the house.  The fat caterpillars have enough mass to make a pretty long flight - right into the path of a mockingbird who just happens to have a nest in the vicinity.

All my tomato plants on the deck suffered significant damage, but this particular plant seems to have gotten the worst of it.  My two plants on the front porch remain untouched.  From what I've read and heard first-hand from other gardeners, hand-picking the worms off the plants is the most effective method of control.  The problem with that method is having to remain extra vigilant, and if you have to leave your plants for a day or two, just a couple of missed or newly-hatched worms can totally strip a plant of leaves and stems as well as tomatoes.  But, I seem to have caught them all for the moment, and the stricken plants are already putting on new leaves.

Tomato growers, be on the lookout: