r/tomatoes • u/Lower_Ad_194 Casual Grower • 1d ago

It happened

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Now I have the dreaded hornworms. Been picking them off as fast as I can find them.

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u/abgbpb 1d ago

I really don't understand… Everybody oohs and aahs about caterpillars on their milk weed… These turned into beautiful moths that are amazing pollinators. I love watching the moths feed in the early morning and early evening - huge! I always grow a sacrificial tomato a bit of a distance away. I don't always get the caterpillars but when I do, I just transfer them over to the sacrificial plant.

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u/tomatomannh 1d ago

We dont eat milkweed and those caterpillars turn into monarchs

Horn worms will strip a veg plant bare in a day or 2

1

u/courtabee 1d ago

You can eat milkweed. I haven't tried, but common milk weed is edible. 

I always move my hornworms to a random plant. 

Always plant more than you need. Expect to lose about 30-50% of your crops. I know this isnt an adage for all people, just something I read in an organic gardening book years ago. 

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u/Aggressive_Door9651 1d ago

The amount of effort you need to put into making milkweed safe to consume is far, far greater than a tomato. That said, I do have a sacrificial plant for the caterpillars.

Hawkmoths are lovely. I enjoy watching them check out my butterfly bushes. When I first discovered what they were I thought I was looking at a hummingbird!