| When tomato plants start growing, it is fun to watch | | | | there on the stems behind a bunch of leaves. What |
| them as they get bigger, the yellow flowers start | | | | they pretty much do is feed off the leaves and eat |
| turning into tomatoes, and you either stake them or | | | | the plant. One of the more effective tomato |
| put them in a tomato cage. They look strong and | | | | gardening tips is to hand pick them off and put them |
| healthy and you congratulate yourself on a job well | | | | into the soapy water. |
| done. The farthest thing from your mind is tomato | | | | The interesting thing about dealing with tomato plant |
| plant problems. At some point mid summer, you can | | | | problems is that often they do not show up until |
| see bad things starting to happen to the plants. | | | | later in the summer. Interestingly enough this is also |
| Frequently they involve tomato plant pests that | | | | about the same time that you are getting tired of all |
| cause dead leaves, or aphids on the back of the | | | | the little things you have to do to keep the |
| leaves and other times there are ugly green | | | | tomatoes healthy. Sometimes the other problems |
| caterpillars. | | | | growing tomatoes come at the same time the pests |
| When the brown dead leaves start to show up you | | | | do. If you have harvested enough tomatoes, and are |
| will notice that it starts at the bottom and moves up. | | | | getting tired of it all, you can just do nothing, and let |
| This is because this particular pest comes up from | | | | the bugs take over! Really, what you need to do is |
| the ground and invades the plant bottom to top. At | | | | pull up the plant so the pests do not affect other |
| first you can easily deal with it by pulling the leaves | | | | plants in your garden. |
| off each day and your growing tomatoes will be fine. | | | | Many backyard gardeners are torn when it comes to |
| As time goes on though, they keep coming back and | | | | using chemicals to deal with their tomato plant |
| progressing up the plant. Once started, these pests | | | | problems. They know the pesticides are easy to use |
| are tough to control. If you have some good tomato | | | | as a preventative measure or to treat a pest |
| gardening tips handy, you will learn some | | | | outbreak. Many will have read up on organic |
| preventative measures to use as you plant the | | | | gardening vegetables ideas and will want to try some |
| tomato in the spring. | | | | natural ways of dealing with their tomato plant pests. |
| In addition to little tomato plant pests there are | | | | Often the natural solution might be as simple as using |
| some big ones like ugly green caterpillar worms. They | | | | soap and water. |
| are the exact color as your tomato stem, so hide in | | | | |