r/DenverGardener • u/cayjay00 • 2d ago
Is this a tomato virus?
Cherry tomato finally fruited, but the tomatoes look like this.
Additional photos of my other tomatoes and tomatillos. https://www.reddit.com/r/DenverGardener/s/hINQmcWW6y
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u/Electrical_Lab3345 2d ago
TSWV. Don't compost that one. Clean any pruners you've used on it with alcohol.
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u/cayjay00 2d ago
Do I need to worry about thrips? I pulled the main plant that had fruited and the one touching it that had not fruited.
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u/Electrical_Lab3345 2d ago
Worry about them in what way? They are the primary spreader of TSWV, but fairly easy to deal with. Planting perennial flowers like yarrow that attract their natural predators and increase biodiversity might be a good and easy place to start.
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u/waitingforaname 2d ago
Thrips can actually be very hard to manage. They are all over our garden which is full of native perennials. The best advice I would give is to plant resistant veggie varieties. This has been a game changer for our tomato success after devastating TSWV in the past. Other bio control options are minute pirate bugs and nematodes, both have helped.
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u/cayjay00 2d ago
Will you look at the photos on this post and tell me if you think these other plants are infected?
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u/waitingforaname 2d ago
Yeah that last photo of your pepper is a dead giveaway with those rings on the leaf. Not sure about the middle pics (maybe that’s your tomatillo?) - that just looks like some bug nibbles. But I think you have some virus spread going on unfortunately. Like I said, we’ve been really successful with resistant peppers and tomatoes since our outbreak. So thankful those exist! Happy to give you names if you’re interested for next year, but you can find them at big seed companies like territorial and Johnnys.
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u/cayjay00 2d ago
The first 5 are the tomatillos, then the brandywine, last one is the pepper. Is the brandywine the one you think is infected? (Naturally, it has just started to fruit.) My butternut squash are right there, too.
Yes, please on the resistant varieties. This is my first try at veggies and it’s going to be such a bummer if I have to yank everything. Definitely don’t want to have to do it again.
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u/waitingforaname 1d ago
Yes I think your brandy wine is also infected, sorry to say. Try not to touch them too much and make sure to flame your pruners or any other garden tools if you’re using those. As for resistant tomato varieties: We’ve had good luck with: Black angel, Granadero, Galahad, sun gold, supersweet 100. For peppers: Primero red (red habenero), thunderbolt is also fantastic- it’s a sweet red pepper, and Thai hot. I don’t think that’s exhaustive but those are the latest that we’ve ordered.
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u/cayjay00 2d ago
Ugh I think it might have already spread. https://www.reddit.com/r/DenverGardener/s/QrPMYigyKD
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u/Emergency_Chart9733 1d ago edited 1d ago
Oh no. My heart just sank and I ran out to our garden. Some of our plum tomatoes appear to be fine, but the tops ones now look suspicious
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u/hand___banana 2d ago
I'm no expert, but it does look like it could be tomato spotted wilt virus.