[jaydig]

I haven't had any for a couple of years, but in the past they'd done a bit of damage before I even realised they were there..................little blighters!  I can't think of any fruit or veg that doesn't have its own pests.

[Growster...]

Never seen one of those - ever!

Live and learn, eh!

[Bohobumble]

Oh no! Yesterday I noted two teeny green caterpillars on the roots of one plant in the greenhouse, I removed them. If this is an actual thing I best look closer at the leaves??

Is it a case of pick them off or is there an organic response?

Are they just a little bit of a pain I can live with or a real 'destroy the crop' thing? They can't be that bad if we've not heard of them....? Yes...??

Sorry to go off-topic.

[oldgrunge]

Had some caterpillars on tomatoes quite a few years ago, don't remember what they looked like, or how much damage they did.
This year, though, have had caterpillars on my basil early on, and am now getting them on my Green Sausage toms.
Has anyone got a description of these beasties, please?

[mumofstig]

Tomato moth caterpillar? There's a pic here...

http://www.marshalls-seeds.co.uk/blog/article/tomato-moth-caterpillar-bgid120.html

[Bohobumble]

Link didn't work, but I googled them earlier, perhaps they were basil fans then, as they were around some munched basil seedlings.... they were quite small but didn't appear to look like the caterpillars I goggled

[Headgardener22]

Tomato Moth caterpillars eat tomatoes and peppers and overwinter as pupae in the ground.

Standard brown moth that flies about at night. The best solution I've found is netting over the openings.

[Steveharford]

If they just ate the odd one or two then I could forgive them. But they don't. And the poo spoils the crops below. They start off small and green and therefore difficult to spot, but soon grow big and a real nuisance. Interesting that they overwinter in the ground. Might give the whole area a soak with Jeyes in the winter.

[Aled]

My tomatoes are not reddening either (well only the odd one), I have been told that banana peel can help as they release ethanol which can speed up process apparently. Well we'll soon see.
Cheers
Aled

[Headgardener22]

I went down to the allotment this morning and as I was going in there was another allotmenteer coming out with a carrierbag full of tomatoes. He said these were the last of his and would get made into soup. Mine are still green. I can't say I understand what's going on.

[oldgrunge]

Tomato moth caterpillar? There's a pic here...

http://www.marshalls-seeds.co.uk/blog/article/tomato-moth-caterpillar-bgid120.html

Well done, Mum. I've been trying to find what those little beasties were. They ate most of my basil earlier, and have been hard at work on my green sausage toms. Overwinter in the ground eh! Well just wait until next winter.

[Headgardener22]

If they just ate the odd one or two then I could forgive them. But they don't. And the poo spoils the crops below. They start off small and green and therefore difficult to spot, but soon grow big and a real nuisance. Interesting that they overwinter in the ground. Might give the whole area a soak with Jeyes in the winter.

I don't know whether jeyes will do any good but digging over the ground and letting the robins have a furtle gets rid of some.

[Yorkie]

Might give the whole area a soak with Jeyes in the winter.

I don't know whether jeyes will do any good but digging over the ground and letting the robins have a furtle gets rid of some.

Please note that it is illegal to use Jeyes as a soil sterilisant.  It cannot be endorsed or advocated on this forum.

[robinahood]

Five months, to the day, from when they were planted, I have had the first one.... worth the wait though....