I have just begun trying to grow some vegatables...started with two tomato plants (one determinate, one vining indeterminate variety). They've been growing like crazy, lots of itsy bitsy tomatoes, lots of blossoms ... I was happy!
But then, horrors, they became covered in these sort of lime green catterpillars! Thinking back to articles I read many years ago, I gathered a bunch of the 'lil buggers, and put them and the tobbaco from one ciggarette in a blender, and misted both plants.
Is this going to work? Did I correctly remember that long ago article?
Please help, all advice welcome, and reply quickly because the few tomatoes that were ripe or close to ripe all had HOLES in them. He'p me, he'p me!!!!!

Thinking back to
> articles I read many years ago, I gathered a bunch of
> the 'lil buggers, and put them and the tobbaco from
> one ciggarette in a blender, and misted both plants.
> Is this going to work? Did I correctly remember that
> long ago article?
> Please help, all advice welcome, and reply quickly
> because the few tomatoes that were ripe or close to
> ripe all had HOLES in them. He'p me, he'p me!!!!!

I'm sure there are others here who can give you much better advise than I can, but I remember from years ago, when I still smoked, I always washed my hands before going anywhere near my tomato plants. I don't know if it's the tobacco or the smoke that the tomatoes didn't like.

Tobacco often carries tobacco mosaic virus, which tomatoes can catch. The nicotine is highly toxic and kills the caterpillars. When you grind up a lot of bugs, some are bound to have some disease which you then spread by spraying the "bug juice".For tomato hornworms: some people just pick them off and drown them in soapy water. Others use BT spray, composed of a bacteria fatal to caterpillars. There is a natural parasitic wasp that attacks the caterpillars. If you see one with white cocoons on its back leave it alone as the wasps will soon hatch out and attack other caterpillars. You can get BT, wasps and natural pesticides through Garden's Alive and other catalogs.I'm sure that the others will have more good ideas, once they wake up and finish their morning coffee (I'm up late tonight.) Welcome!

You can probably get BT at your local nursery under the name of Di-pel. I've had problems with the wormies too, so used some of that and some Pyola from Gardens Alive and it seems to have done the trick. Don't know for sure which one did it, maybe both. I lost the label from the Pyola so was guessing with that one.

I would second the BT spray info and add one more thing. Next year try growing the plants (at least the vining type) up strings. It makes it easier to see the buggers (if they attack - which they don't like to climg my strings for some reason). Also it makes it easier to pick the tomatoes when they all ripen.

I planted marigolds and borage with my tomatoes this year and had no problems with tomato hornworms. The borage was a new try this year as I had read somewhere that it is supposed to keep the hornworms away. last couple of years I had just planted the marigolds and had a few of the hornworms. none this year (at least that I saw)!

one thing to keep in mind - borage gets fairly tall and is very prickly. but has very pretty blue flowers that attract alot of pollenators to your garden. it also reseeds very easily, but I couldn't figure out when to collect the seeds. suggestions anyone? I've also read that borage can be used as a cover crop and tilled into the soil. so lots of benefits from this plant.

I have only ever seen one tomato hornworm in my garden & that was in Illinois. When I first saw your post, I thought great & then read on & thought not so great. I don't like pricklys at all & I really wouldn't like an easily reseeding prickly. Thankfully I have never had a problem with tomato bugs.

yeah, the prickly bit can get annoying, but it has such a pretty flower that I put up with it. also, I forgot to mention that it also has a pretty wide branching habit, so it needs plenty of room. I didn't mind it reseeding at all since I normally till the garden in the spring anyway. and now that I know it's been used as a cover crop, I'll just till the dead plants right into the soil. it dries up pretty well and just kinda crumbles.

Borage is a great plant! The young leaves are edible and taste like cucumber. The older leaves are a bit tough and are prickly. This is one of the edible flowers too. It is very pretty in salads!

I don't think borage is any more prickly than say, squash vines.... But... Deer like to eat borage plants here.

I was blessed this year with only one tomato worm and when I went to pick it off and dispose of it, I was surprised that it had reached such a considerable size before I had noticed it. The back of this magnificant specimen (they are really neat looking, admit it!) had white ovid parasites clinging to its back. I felt both wonder and sorry for this creature dying a slow death by being eatten alive, and wonder, for I know this is a natural pest control and fascinating in and of itself. I let it be, knowing it could do little more harm from that point on.

In years gone by, in other gardens of the past, I have used BT with great success.

Someone dug this out of the archives. One never, ever is to use any tobacco products in your garden, anyone that tells you that the nicotene form cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, or even the Black Flag is okay is flat wrong. Keep in mind that tobacco by products are known carcinogens.
Bacillus thuringiensis - Kurstaki is a good control for leaf chewing insects and is sold under various brand names, but often interplanting your tomatoes with something else can confuse Ma Carolina Sphinx or Five-Spotted Hawkmoth enough so they do not lay eggs on the tomato plants that hatch and become the tomato hornworms. I have planted my tomatoes in amongst my Dahlias (or y Dahlias amongst my tomatoes) for 5 years now and have not had a sign of any pest on either.

Because of the tobacco mosaic virus I stopped allowing people to smoke in my garden at any time. If they are so addicted they can't make it through a few hours without smoking, they can go into the street. And I mean the street, because the parking strip next to the sidewalk is a garden, too. And if it's raining, too bad. Actually none of my friends smoke, so it's just during tours or meetings that it can become an issue, or else when there's a film being made on the street. For some reason half the film crew members smoke!