Pics of my 2013 Gardening Season in NJ.

[Alfredo]

Originally Posted by efisakov

If I were you, I would not be so happy and inviting to these creatures. They (caterpillars) eat not only leaves but stems and tomatoes as well. I had one plant eaten with only about 10 inches from the ground remained last year. Now I am vigilant.

Interesting, I've never had any problems with caterpillars on my tomato plants. Maybe the butterflies in my garden are too busy feasting on all the flowers/ flowering herbs I have growing everywhere. I have had problems with slugs on some of my hostas a few years ago. But that seems to have gone away the past couple years thankfully.

~Alfredo

[efisakov]

I have marigolds, roses, lilies, day-lilies, sweet valentines, carnations, gladioli, snapdragons, hostas, wallflowers and more. The butterflies are laying eggs on tomatoes. I try to hose them every time they approach my babies.

[NarnianGarden]

Originally Posted by Alfredo

Oh I love Kale, I usually grow it in fall to overwinter, and it resumes growing in early spring. Which variety of Kale is the one you grow?
~Alfredo

Red Russian variety this year. The violet/blue is not so visible in the ones that grow in my mom's flowerbed, but my plants are smaller and tormented by various cabbage moth populations & their leaves are almost lilac.
I wasn't able to find BT in my gardening shop and the dish soap concoction I tried didn't help much. The bugs have been almost invincible this summer. But the frost will eventually kill the winged foes and leave the kale for us humans.

[Alfredo]

Originally Posted by efisakov

I have marigolds, roses, lilies, day-lilies, sweet valentines, carnations, gladioli, snapdragons, hostas, wallflowers and more. The butterflies are laying eggs on tomatoes. I try to hose them every time they approach my babies.

Oh ok, nice varied selection of flowers/plants you have there Ella. Sorry to hear the caterpillars give you problems with your tomatoes.

I haven't had to resort to spraying insects with anything thankfully. I do a lot of companion planting, maybe because i plant so much cliantro, parsley and radishes and let it flower, it's possible that they're attracting what is known as the "Insect Predators" or "Beneficial Insects."

Insects like Ladybugs, praying mantis, even the larvae of the firefly(lightning bug) help out as they feed on slugs and snails. Assassin bugs love the flowers in parsley and cilantro, it's some of their favorites. My raised garden bed is always surrounded with parsley from last year (flowering in it's second year this season) and new parsely i sowed earlier this year. Do you grow any herbs in your garden? Or just ornamentals and vegetables?

~Alfredo

[efisakov]

Yep. Parsley, cilantro, dill, scallions, and basil. Cilantro and parsley do smell wonderful when blooming, I agree.
btw, dill is another one that attracts butterflies, too many caterpillars on it. I have being inspecting my dill every week, and all season long, collecting eggs or small caterpillars.

[Alfredo]

Love scallions...i ate my way through all my Scallions and Dill already... Wa waa... i use the Dill for fish often.

~Alfredo

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by efisakov

I have marigolds, roses, lilies, day-lilies, sweet valentines, carnations, gladioli, snapdragons, hostas, wallflowers and more. The butterflies are laying eggs on tomatoes. I try to hose them every time they approach my babies.

Ella, did you know that the caterpillars of most butterflies, and moths are very specific in their diet? Monarch caterpillars eat only milkweed for example. The butterfly Alfredo showed here is a swallowtail, it's caterpillars like only the carrot family greens such as parsley and of course carrots. Zebra long wings caterpillars eat only passion fruit vines.
Tomato hornworms come from eggs laid by Sphinx Moths. Etc.
Marsha

[efisakov]

O, Marsha, I see big dark once and smaller white, grey and light brown once. Too many. I did find 5 hornworm caterpillars this year and they were big (2.5 inches long). I found small (3/4 inch) thing light color caterpillar that was a different species eating not leafs but the fruit of my Black Master tomato.

[Alfredo]

Do you have any pics of the butterflies or caterpillars in your garden Ella?

~Alfredo

[gnol]

Great pics Alfredo.
The Prudens Purple looks like a great tomato.

[Alfredo]

Originally Posted by gnol

Great pics Alfredo.
The Prudens Purple looks like a great tomato.

Thanks gnol,

Pruden's Purple has been my favorite tomato variety for many years.
A really good flavored dark pink large tomato (10-16 oz, sometimes bigger). And they mature around 75 days more or less.

The plant can get pretty big too, both of the current ones I have growing this year are already over 7 ft reaching 8ft now. It's a challenging tomato plant to give support to with bamboo and loosely tied string, but I find it fun to do every year.

[Alfredo]

Originally Posted by NarnianGarden

Red Russian variety this year. The violet/blue is not so visible in the ones that grow in my mom's flowerbed, but my plants are smaller and tormented by various cabbage moth populations & their leaves are almost lilac.
I wasn't able to find BT in my gardening shop and the dish soap concoction I tried didn't help much. The bugs have been almost invincible this summer. But the frost will eventually kill the winged foes and leave the kale for us humans.

Kale tastes so much more sweeter once a little cold hits it too.

[Alfredo]

More Pics...

IMG_1214.jpg Guatemalan Blue Banana Squash.

IMG_1216.jpg Kosovo tomato.

IMG_1217.jpg Grandpa Ott's Morning Glory with Matt's Wild Cherry tomatoes.

IMG_1218.jpg Kentucky Wonder Beans.

IMG_1220.jpg Rosita Eggplants.

IMG_1222.jpg Pruden's Purple tomatoes.

IMG_1223.jpg Morning Glory and Black-Eyed Susan in the wildflower garden area.

IMG_1224.jpg Guatemalan Blue Banana Squash.

IMG_1225.jpg Arrowhead vine plant.

IMG_1226.jpg Nutterbutter squash.

IMG_1227.jpg Hosta flowering.

IMG_1228.jpg Scarlet Runner Bean.

IMG_1229.jpg Dwarf Sweet Sue tomato.

IMG_1230.jpg Scarlett O Hara Morning Glory.

IMG_1231.jpg Rosita Eggplant.

IMG_1232.jpg Pruden's Purple Tomato.

IMG_1233.jpg Wildflower/squash garden area.

IMG_1237.jpg New Big Dwarf, Kosovo, Pruden's Purple, San Marzano Redorta, KC-146 and Jaune Flamme tomatoes.

IMG_1238.jpg The heirloom Pruden's Purple tomato.

IMG_1239.jpg

IMG_1240.jpg Dwarf Sweet Sue tomato.

IMG_1241.jpg Pruden's Purple tomato, weighing 14 ounces and a half.

[PHONETOOL]

Wow Alfredo that's very Impressive looks like a lot of hard work has paid off

Some really nice pictures too Keep up the good work !

[Alfredo]

Originally Posted by PHONETOOL

Wow Alfredo that's very Impressive looks like a lot of hard work has paid off

Some really nice pictures too Keep up the good work !

Thanks it's been a pretty good season so far.